China's Mid-Autumn Festival sees spike in travel demand

China's three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday ended with an increase in travel demand and rising tourism spending, as cities across the country expanded cultural, leisure and commercial offerings to create new consumption opportunities.

Local data pointed to solid tourism consumption: 

Beijing received 8.78 million tourists, generating 11.5 billion yuan ($1.7 billion) in tourism spending, according to the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism. Inbound visitors totaled 83,000 trips and 780 million yuan in spending.

In Jiangsu Province, tourism sites across the province welcomed over 10.37 million tourist visits during the holiday, with total tourism spending reaching 10.88 billion yuan, according to the provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. Short-distance travel remained a popular choice.

Beyond the headline figures, the holiday also highlighted a broader shift toward combining tourism with food, culture, entertainment and nighttime activities. 

In Shanghai, for example, the city's tourism program included Mid-Autumn folk activities in Minhang District, alongside a range of waterfront, food and cultural events across the city.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism said local governments planned more than 20,000 cultural and tourism events and would distribute over 310 million yuan in consumer vouchers and subsidies from late September through October, covering the Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday periods.