Singapore Aligns With Indonesia and More as China’s Golden Week Drives an 84% Rise in Multi-Destination Bookings

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Singapore and Indonesia are becoming part of an extended golden week for Chinese travelers. This year, Chinese travelers have the opportunity to take an extended break during Golden Week. Trip.com Group claims that this year, there has been a 84% increase in Chinese customers booking multiple destinations for travel between September 25 and October 7. Singapore, Bali and a Hong Kong-Sydney route, are a few examples of bookings offered by Trip.com Group. For travel, a connection can mean increased tourism spending for both countries. That said, increased bookings for a transport route does not mean increased tourists or spending for either country.

A holiday that can stretch across borders

China’s Mid-Autumn Festival falls just before the National Day holiday this year. Travellers who take three days of leave between them can make a 13-day break, according to Trip.com Group’s Golden Week booking report. That creates room for a journey with more than one stop.

Trip.com says bookings for multi-destination itineraries rose 84% year on year. Singapore–Bali, Hong Kong–Sydney and Amsterdam–Milan are among the combinations it identifies. The Singapore–Bali pairing gives this trend a clear tourism question: will travellers spend meaningful time in both places, or use one mainly as a gateway to the other? en.prnasia.com

The company has not published the number of bookings behind the 84% increase. It also has not said how many passengers on the Singapore–Bali route are Chinese, how many nights they plan to spend in each destination, or how much they expect to spend. The figure shows stronger demand for linked itineraries on Trip.com’s platforms; it does not establish an 84% rise in arrivals to Singapore or Indonesia. en.prnasia.com

Why Singapore and Bali make a revealing pair

A two-stop holiday changes the value of a flight connection. A traveller could spend several days in Singapore before continuing to Bali, creating demand for accommodation, food, attractions and local transport in both places. Another might pass through Singapore airport without entering the country.

That distinction matters to tourism businesses. A transit passenger and an overnight visitor are different outcomes, even when they appear on the same international itinerary. Trip.com’s route examples show how people are putting trips together, but they do not show which businesses receive the spending. en.prnasia.com

Singapore enters the holiday period with a substantial Chinese visitor market. The Singapore Tourism Board recorded 3.1 million arrivals from mainland China in 2025, its largest source market. Singapore received 16.9 million international visitors overall that year, up 2.3% from 2024. Those are annual figures and cannot be used as a forecast for this Golden Week. Singapore Tourism Board

Bali is named as the Indonesian stop in Trip.com’s example. It gives Chinese travellers a different type of stay after a city visit, which helps explain the appeal of combining the two. The reported booking pattern does not, however, confirm that Bali hotels are seeing the same rate of growth.

Chinese Golden Week multi-destination bookings: what the figures show

Source: Trip.com Group’s September 2026 booking report. Its year-on-year comparison uses average daily booking volumes because the 2026 and 2025 holiday windows have different lengths. en.prnasia.com

The early departures are particularly important. A traveller leaving on 25 September may already be several nights into a holiday when Golden Week formally begins on 1 October. Businesses looking only at the official seven-day holiday could miss part of the demand.

The opportunity for airlines, hotels and local operators

A linked itinerary can create more than one sale for an airline or travel agent. It may require a flight into one destination, a flight onward and a return journey from a different airport. Each connection also gives the traveller another schedule to manage.

For hotels, the question is where the nights fall. A longer holiday does not guarantee a longer stay in every destination on the route. Singapore may receive an overnight city break, a longer visit or no hotel booking at all if the traveller remains in transit.

Local tour operators face a similar test. They can benefit when visitors set aside time for an experience in each stop. Trip.com’s figures provide a reason to watch that demand, but they do not measure tour sales, local employment or the economic gain in either country.

Singapore’s tourism strategy places value on visitor spending as well as arrivals. At its May 2026 Tourism Industry Conference, the Singapore Tourism Board projected 17 million to 18 million international arrivals and S$31 billion to S$32.5 billion in tourism receipts for the full year. These are national projections, not estimates of the impact of Golden Week. Singapore Tourism Board

Two stops mean two sets of entry steps

The itinerary may look simple on a booking screen, but travellers must check the rules for each country they intend to enter. In Singapore, an airport transfer without immigration clearance is treated differently from a stay that involves entering the city.

Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority says most travellers entering the country must submit the SG Arrival Card within three days, including the arrival day. Those transferring without seeking immigration clearance are exempt. The authority also says short-term visitors should have proof of onward travel where required. Entering Singapore

Indonesia has its own arrival process. An Indonesian immigration notice says international passengers arriving at Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport must complete the All Indonesia arrival declaration. It can be filled in up to three days before arrival and is free of charge. Travellers should check their passport-specific visa requirements separately before booking. batam.imigrasi.go.id

That makes connection planning part of the holiday, not just an airport detail. Travellers need to know whether they will enter Singapore, collect checked baggage, change terminals or travel on separate tickets. They should allow for immigration and check-in time when the onward flight is independently booked.

Three questions travellers should ask before booking

Does a stop in Singapore require an SG Arrival Card?

Yes, if the traveller enters Singapore and is not otherwise exempt. Singapore’s immigration authority exempts passengers who transfer without seeking immigration clearance. Check the airport and ticket arrangements before assuming a stop is transit only. Entering Singapore

Is Indonesia’s arrival declaration the same as a visa?

No. The All Indonesia form is an arrival declaration. Travellers must check whether they also need a visa or other entry permission for their passport and intended length of stay. batam.imigrasi.go.id

Does the 84% rise mean Bali and Singapore will receive 84% more Chinese visitors?

No. Trip.com reports growth in bookings for multi-destination itineraries across its platforms. It has not reported an equivalent rise in actual arrivals to either destination. en.prnasia.com

Conclusion

What makes this particular Golden Week different is the nature of travel booked. Chinese customers are using longer travel windows to book more and longer connected trips. As an example, Trip.com has observed bookings to Singapore and Bali. Bookings like these obviously create opportunities for airlines, accommodations, and other services in those places, but how big of an opportunity is unclear. One company has seen bookings within its platforms where the end destination is at least 84% further than the previous year. With longer and more connected travel windows, travelers have to consider connections and plan travel appropriately.