The Chinese government notes that the Golden Week holiday which began today, 1st October, may not necessarily mean more spending on the part of those travelling both in and out of the country.

Given China’s current economic slowdown and historically low consumer confidence, many people will be taking longer trips for the holiday but mean to stay within their set budgets.

As a result, most have opted for less expensive domestic trips or have flown to closer overseas destinations. The latter is the result of a recent drop in airfare among a number of airlines.

Traditionally, Golden Week is when travel in China hits its peak, with nationals booking overseas trips for the long holiday. However, authorities forecast a modest increase of around 0.7 percent year-on-year in terms of the daily average number of trips handled by the transportation sector.

Staying longer

According to travel platform Flight Master, domestic air ticket prices in China were noted to be 21 percent cheaper than the same period last year, while international economy class airfares were around 25 percent lower than 2023 and 7 percent lower than 2019.

Likewise, many Chinese still prefer closer Asian destinations for the holiday, specifically Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.

Chinese online travel agency Trip.com also noted that those opting for long-haul flights to destinations in Oceania and Europe are getting more for their money through longer stays.