China's daily cross-border trips up 18.6% during Mid-Autumn Festival

China's inbound and outbound passenger trips reached 5.26 million during this year's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, with an average of 1.75 million trips daily, an increase of 18.6 percent from the same period last year, official data showed on Wednesday.

Among the passengers, 2.63 million were mainland residents, an increase of 15.1 percent from last year, while 2.07 million were residents of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, marking a 7.3-percent year-on-year rise.

Data from Umetrip, a service application providing services such as flight dynamics, ticket inquiry, and itinerary management, shows that international flight bookings during the holiday surged by around 15 percent compared to the previous week. 

Popular routes included Shanghai-Tokyo, Shanghai-Osaka, Beijing-Tokyo and Qingdao-Seoul, highlighting a robust recovery in international tourism.

As the National Day holiday follows closely after Mid-Autumn Festival, outbound travel bookings are expected to double compared to the same period last year, according to data from Qunar, a Chinese online travel agency. 

Its data shows that outbound travel bookings now span 1,597 cities from 144 countries, with African nations making up a significant portion of newly added destinations, positioning Africa as a rising hotspot in the outbound tourism market.

Looking at the cities with the highest volume of outbound flight bookings for National Day, Qunar data shows that all of the destinations are within a 5-hour flight radius. Cities like Bangkok (Thailand), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Seoul (South Korea), and Osaka (Japan) are among the top choices.

The National Immigration Administration disclosed in 2019 that the number of mainland residents holding valid ordinary passports was expected to exceed 200 million by the end of that year. Including the passports issued over the past four years, the total number of passports in the country is now about 230 million, leaving around 1.2 billion people without passports, suggesting a vast untapped market for international travel.

Mid-Autumn Festival is one of China's most important traditional holidays. As a festival in honor of the moon and to reunite with family members, short trips and local getaways were particularly popular during the holiday, with Chinese-style night tours that allow tourists to enjoy the full moon with their families emerging as a major trend.

These night excursions, featuring moonlit boat cruises, bonfire parties, performances showcasing intangible cultural heritage, and outdoor concerts, provided visitors with a rich and immersive cultural experience while also becoming a key highlight for promoting local culture and stimulating holiday consumption.

Data from online travel platforms showed a 77-percent surge in searches related to night tours of ancient towns and gardens, while searches for night boat cruises increased by 42 percent.