Autumn colors are already loading, and have you arranged your travel plans for the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day? As of now, hotel bookings in Jiangsu during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays have increased by nearly 90% year-on-year, with bookings in Nanjing doubling compared to the same period last year. Nanjing, Suzhou, and Wuxi are the most popular destinations, while Zhenjiang and Nanjing lead the overall growth rate... On September 10, Fliggy released its "Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Travel Outlook for 2026," with booking data showing long-haul destinations leading the surge across the board.
This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival requires no schedule adjustments and is only three days away from the National Day holiday. The "take 3 days off, get 13 days of rest" leave-hacking formula has unlocked new possibilities for college students and office workers. On the Fliggy platform, besides first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, as well as major cities such as Nanjing and Hangzhou, classic long-haul destinations like Chengdu, Urumqi, Kunming, and Sanya have climbed to the top of the popular booking lists for the holidays. Looking at high-growth domestic destinations, long-haul spots in regions such as Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, and the three northeastern provinces dominate overwhelmingly. For outbound travel, resort destinations on the other side of the globe like Australia, New Zealand, and Italy share the spotlight with "top-tier" spots within the "four-hour flight circle," including South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia. Emerging "dark horses" such as Slovenia, Romania, Madagascar, Chile, and Kyrgyzstan are leading the growth rate.
Notably, the extended holidays have also subtly shifted people's travel needs and preferences, with travelers slowing down and increasingly focusing on the experience itself and truly enjoying their vacations. Fliggy data shows that a number of domestic small cities hailed as the "ultimate autumn foliage destinations" have become popular. For instance, bookings for Ejina and Yichun have already doubled. This group of travelers has a particular fondness for leisurely experiencing autumn in the mountains and fields, finding a place dyed in autumn hues to appreciate the beauty of nature's transformations. More people are also setting out for once-in-a-lifetime extreme experiences, checking off their own "life moments." According to Fliggy data, bookings for glacier hiking products during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays have increased by more than 50% year-on-year, skydiving product bookings have grown by nearly 80%, and whale-watching excursions have surged by over 200%.
"Healing cute creatures" have also become an irresistible reason for people to travel. At the "Heart Reef" in Australia's Whitsunday Islands, looking down from a helicopter feels like the world is showing off its heart in an adorable gesture. Bookings for this sightseeing project on Fliggy have increased by more than 100% year-on-year. Orders for experiences like watching little blue penguins return to their nests and cuddling koalas have also soared, with growth rates reaching 160% and 120%, respectively. In addition, concerts and sports events have become highlights of holiday travel. Fliggy data shows that during the peak pre-holiday booking period, search interest for the keyword "concert" on the platform has surged 8.8 times.
The "lie-flat tourism" trend, which emphasizes not rushing and not waking up early, continues to boom. Domestic chartered car bookings have increased by more than 40% year-on-year. Cruise travel, which bundles food, accommodation, and entertainment into one price, requires no extensive itinerary research, and even offers a chance to go abroad, has seen bookings grow by nearly 70%. For travelers who haven't yet decided where to go, industry insiders remind them that there are still plenty of discounted airfares available to snag during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day period.