Chinese outbound travel grows as longer, multi-destination trips gain ground - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

Chinese outbound travel continued its recovery during Golden Week 2026, with 4.44 million departures from mainland China between October 1 and 7, representing a year-on-year increase of 9.3 percent. According to a new report by marketing technology company EternityX, the holiday period also revealed substantial changes in travel behaviour. Chinese tourists are increasingly choosing longer journeys, combining several destinations and spending more time on cultural and local experiences rather than traditional sightseeing and shopping.

The extended holiday calendar contributed to this development. By combining three days of annual leave with the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, travellers could create a 13-day travel window between September 25 and October 7. The proportion of outbound package travellers booking journeys lasting at least eight days reached approximately 42 percent, compared with around 29 percent in 2024.

For international destinations, airlines and tourism businesses, the findings point to opportunities beyond the continued recovery in visitor numbers. Multi-destination bookings increased by 84 percent, substantially exceeding the overall growth in outbound departures. At the same time, Chinese travellers demonstrated greater interest in long-haul destinations, personalised itineraries and digital planning tools. The report combines official immigration statistics with booking data, consumer surveys and information from major Chinese travel platforms.

Longer journeys create opportunities for international destinations

The growth in complex travel itineraries was particularly pronounced during the holiday period. Travellers booking multi-country journeys visited an average of 2.8 countries, while advance bookings on long-haul routes exceeding 8,000 kilometres increased by 30 percent. Overall outbound flight bookings, by comparison, grew by approximately four percent.

These developments suggest that Chinese travellers are increasingly willing to use extended holidays for more ambitious international journeys. Instead of concentrating on a single destination, they are combining several countries or regions within one itinerary.

The changing booking patterns could benefit destinations offering complementary experiences and convenient transport connections. Regional tourism organisations and travel operators may find opportunities to develop itineraries combining cultural attractions, outdoor activities and local experiences across several destinations.

Hong Kong and Macao also recorded strong visitor numbers. Hong Kong welcomed approximately 1.41 million mainland visitors during Golden Week, an increase of 9.4 percent, while hotel occupancy approached 90 percent.

Macao received around 972,000 mainland visitors, with average daily arrivals increasing by 19.6 percent compared with the previous year. Hotel occupancy reached 91.3 percent.

South Korea and Southeast Asia benefit from changing demand

Travel demand shifted considerably between destinations during 2026.

South Korea emerged as the leading planned destination in the surveys cited by EternityX, accounting for 20.1 percent of respondents. Flight bookings to Seoul increased by 91 percent.

Southeast Asian destinations also performed strongly. Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Bali appeared among the most frequently booked destinations across several travel platforms.

Island destinations recorded particularly strong growth, with bookings for Cebu increasing by 111 percent and Phuket by 78 percent.

Japan, meanwhile, lost ground in the booking rankings. According to the report, the country disappeared from most leading platform top-ten lists after occupying first place in 2025.

Long-haul demand also benefited destinations offering visa-free access or distinctive cultural experiences.

Hotel bookings in Nevşehir, the gateway to Türkiye's Cappadocia region, increased fivefold. Ireland, Greece, Portugal, Nepal and Finland recorded a doubling of hotel bookings on the platforms examined.

For European tourism businesses, these developments indicate opportunities to attract Chinese visitors beyond established metropolitan destinations and traditional shopping itineraries.

Cultural experiences replace conventional sightseeing

The report identifies a growing preference for slower and more immersive travel.

In the consumer research cited by EternityX, 47.3 percent of respondents identified in-depth, slower-paced journeys as their preferred travel style.

Searches for cultural heritage, traditional crafts and outdoor activities on the Chinese social platform Xiaohongshu increased by 48 percent, significantly faster than searches associated with conventional sightseeing and popular photo locations.

Booking patterns reflected similar changes.

On the first day of Golden Week, reservations for local experiences abroad increased by 37 percent, while airport transfer bookings rose by 43 percent.

Traditional shopping expenditure showed a different development. At Lotte Duty Free in South Korea, spending per Chinese customer declined by 19 percent between January and August 2026, even though customer numbers increased by 74 percent.

The figures suggest that higher visitor volumes do not necessarily translate into equivalent growth in retail spending. Instead, a greater proportion of travel expenditure may be directed towards activities, transport and destination experiences.

Artificial intelligence changes travel planning

Digital technology is becoming increasingly influential throughout the Chinese travel booking process.

According to the consumer surveys referenced in the report, 61.8 percent of Chinese travellers now use artificial intelligence to help plan itineraries. Another 20.3 percent indicated that they would be willing to complete travel bookings through AI-based services.

One major online travel platform reported a 110 percent month-on-month increase in flight and hotel bookings supported by its AI assistant during Golden Week.

Social media continues to play an important role in destination discovery. Xiaohongshu, which reported more than 230 million users interested in travel, has become a significant source of travel inspiration and practical information.

The emerging booking process increasingly combines social media recommendations, AI-generated itineraries and transactions through online travel agencies or integrated digital services.

Payment platforms are also expanding their role beyond financial transactions.

WeChat Pay reported substantial growth in cross-border transactions through mini-programs between September 25 and October 5. Duty-free transactions increased 8.5-fold, ferry ticket purchases more than tripled, and ride-hailing transactions grew by more than 60 percent.

European destinations featured prominently in the payment data, accounting for 12 of the 20 countries recording the strongest transaction growth.

Chinese outbound travel could reach a new record in 2026

China recorded approximately 167.9 million outbound visits in 2025, representing growth of 15.1 percent compared with the previous year.

EternityX expects a further increase of approximately nine to ten percent in 2026. Based on this projection, outbound travel could reach between 183 million and 184 million visits, exceeding the pre-pandemic peak of approximately 169 million recorded in 2019.

These figures remain forecasts rather than confirmed annual results.

The company also expects the changing structure of demand to influence destination marketing ahead of the 2027 travel season.

Charlene Ree, founder and CEO of EternityX, argues that tourism brands should place greater emphasis on longer itineraries and measurable booking results rather than concentrating exclusively on visitor numbers or advertising reach.

For destinations seeking Chinese visitors, the report recommends beginning promotional activities six to eight weeks before major holiday periods and developing products that combine multiple locations with distinctive local experiences.

The findings also highlight the growing importance of making tourism products accessible through Chinese social platforms, AI-assisted travel planning and familiar digital payment systems.

With Golden Week 2027 expected to provide a shorter holiday window, travel patterns may change again. Nevertheless, the 2026 results indicate that international destinations are increasingly competing not only for Chinese visitor numbers but also for longer stays, more extensive itineraries and a larger share of expenditure on experiences.

Image Credit: © AI generated illustration