Domestic travel booms during China's National Day holiday
Updated 20:29, 07-Oct-2019
CGTN's Global Business
01:50

The big vacation across China to celebrate the 70th National Day is coming to an end. Where did the money go during the national holiday? Food, beauty, and travel. With China's consumers upgrading their tastes, it was indeed a Golden Week of family spending.

Data showed new trends in online food ordering this holiday, with more orders being placed for tourist sites. Travelers are likely to take advantage of online delivery to get a taste of local food. For instance, in Shanghai, more than 110,000 people ordered fried buns online during the first three days of the holiday.

Consumption of beauty and wellness products was another highlight. Data from T-mall shows that the transaction volume of aromatherapy products increased by nearly 240 percent during the first three days of the Golden Week. That's while the volume of perfume and men cosmetics increased by 50 and 70 percent, respectively.

VCG Photo

VCG Photo

Tourism continued to be a highlight of the Golden Week consumer trends. And this year, the country's scenic spots received more domestic travelers, up 42 percent from last year. Beijing, Shanghai and Chengdu are listed top three for domestic tourism. For traveling abroad, Japan, South Korea and other neighboring countries are the first choices.

In the first three days of the national vacation, the number of tourists to Hong Kong dropped by 33 percent compared to last year. Data showed that passengers through the West Kowloon high-speed railway station almost halved from last year. Hong Kong officials said the drop of visitor arrivals is mainly due to security threats caused by continued violent protests in the city. They hope tourists will return when social order returns to normal.

Meanwhile, in terms of demographics, those aged above 40 accounted for the most significant jump in consumption during the holiday. Except for tourism, consumption in healthcare and beauty increased. Physical examination, oral care, and cosmetic medicine were the most popular products.

(Cover image via VCG Photo)

(CGTN's Xia Cheng contributes to the story.)