As the summer family travel wave subsides and the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays are still weeks away, the travel market in early-to-mid September is experiencing what many consider the most comfortable "off-peak window" of the second half of the year. Recent data from multiple platforms indicates that while this off-peak period has been noticeably shortened by the popular "3 days off, 13 days total" leave-stacking strategy, airfare and hotel prices have generally fallen by 30% to 50%, with retirees and young professionals stepping in to replace family travelers and sustaining a surprisingly active autumn spending season.

Price flexibility is proving to be the strongest driver of this off-peak travel surge. According to Tongcheng Travel's discounted flight rankings, tickets from cities like Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing to destinations such as Chongqing, Guangzhou, Urumqi, Guiyang, Xi'an, Changsha, Xiamen, and Kunming in September are generally priced at discounts ranging from 1.5 to 2.3 percent of the original fare. For instance, flights from Shanghai to Chongqing can be found for as low as 200 to 300 yuan (excluding taxes), while Beijing to Changsha costs around 300 to 400 yuan (excluding taxes). Overall, off-peak flight prices in September are 30% to 40% cheaper than those during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, and more than half the price compared to the peak on September 30.

Hotel rates have also seen significant declines. Tongcheng Travel data shows that average hotel prices before the Mid-Autumn Festival have dropped by 30% to 40% compared to August, with some resort hotels seeing reductions of over 50%. For example, a five-star hotel in a popular second-tier city is priced at over 700 yuan during the September off-peak period, but surges to between 1,000 and 1,470 yuan during the National Day Golden Week.

In terms of destinations, while summer travel demands for escaping the heat and visiting coastal islands have waned, interest in autumn foliage-viewing products is rising rapidly. Tongcheng Travel data highlights that routes to Jiuzhaigou and Daocheng Yading in Sichuan, Guilin in Guangxi, Zhangjiajie in Hunan, Huangguoshu and Libo Xiaoqikong in Guizhou, Enshi Grand Canyon and Shennongjia in Hubei, and Kanas in Xinjiang are among the most popular choices. Among these, Jiuzhaigou, Daocheng Yading, Kanas, and Enshi are expected to enter their peak foliage-viewing windows first.

This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day are separated by only three working days, meaning the "3 days off, 13 days total" strategy extends the National Day travel peak from around September 24 through October 6, making the off-peak window notably shorter than last year. Tuniu data reveals that over 50% of outbound long-haul travelers covering the National Day period plan to depart during the Mid-Autumn Festival or even earlier. Additionally, this leave-stacking approach creates the longest travel window of the year. Qunar Travel data shows that bookings for hotels from September 28 to 30 have surged 52% year-over-year, with these three days accounting for 15% of total bookings for the 13-day holiday period.

Unlike previous years when National Day had only one travel peak, this year's dual holidays create two distinct surges. Qunar Travel data indicates that the number of travelers departing for the Mid-Autumn Festival exceeds those on National Day's first day: September 25, the first day of the holiday, marks this year's peak with a 1.7-fold year-over-year increase, while October 1, the first day of National Day, represents the second peak.