Seoul Aligns Tokyo and Bangkok Race to Capture China’s Extended Golden Week Travel Demand

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China is approaching an unusually long holiday period, prompting tourism destinations across Asia to intensify efforts to capture outbound Chinese travel demand. The combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays create a 10-day break, while some Chinese travellers are extending their time away to as many as 13 days.

The extended holiday is particularly significant for Asian destinations because longer travel windows can encourage short-haul trips, multi-destination itineraries and wider regional travel, according to Noor Ahmad Hamid, CEO of the Pacific Asia Travel Association.

Why Is China’s Golden Week Important for Asian Tourism?

China’s National Day holiday runs from October 1 to 7, while the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday falls from September 25 to 27. Together, the official holidays create a 10-day break, compared with eight days last year.

Some travellers are taking additional leave during the three-day period separating the two holidays, potentially extending their travel period to 13 days. This creates a larger window for international journeys and gives destinations across Asia an opportunity to attract Chinese visitors for longer stays.

The timing is also important for tourism businesses seeking to rebuild demand amid wider pressures affecting international travel.

Which Destinations Are Chinese Travellers Choosing?

According to a September 21 report from Chinese online travel platform Trip.com, more than half of outbound flight bookings made by Chinese travellers are scheduled to depart before October 1.

The data points to strong demand for both established Asian destinations and longer-haul markets. Seoul ranked first for Golden Week holiday bookings, followed by Tokyo and Bangkok.

Traditional favourites across East Asia and Southeast Asia continue to attract travellers, while Australia and New Zealand are also gaining attention among Chinese outbound tourists.

The booking pattern suggests that travellers are not necessarily waiting until the official start of Golden Week to begin their journeys. Early departures could help spread demand across a longer period and provide greater flexibility for travellers planning multi-stop holidays.

How Are Asian Destinations Preparing for Chinese Visitors?

Tourism authorities and businesses across the region are responding with dedicated campaigns and visitor initiatives.

Thailand launched its Nihao Month 2026 campaign on September 14, seeking to deepen engagement with the Chinese travel market. South Korea is also promoting international visitation through Seoul Welcome Week: Autumn Edition, which runs through October 11 and includes efforts to welcome visitors from China.

Other destinations are also targeting the Golden Week opportunity. Tourism businesses in the Maldives and Bali have introduced campaigns designed to capture additional demand from Chinese travellers during the holiday period.

These initiatives reflect the importance of the Chinese outbound market to destinations across Asia, particularly during periods when travellers have more time available for international trips.

Could the Extended Holiday Boost Multi-Destination Travel?

The longer holiday could encourage Chinese travellers to combine destinations rather than limiting trips to a single city or country.

A 10-day official break, potentially extended to 13 days, gives travellers considerably more time to build itineraries around several destinations. Short-haul journeys within Asia can be particularly suitable for this type of travel because of comparatively shorter flight times and the availability of multiple regional connections.

For tourism businesses, this creates opportunities to position destinations as components of broader itineraries rather than competing only for individual city breaks.

The potential benefit extends beyond airlines and hotels. Restaurants, attractions, shopping districts, tour operators and other tourism businesses could benefit if visitor numbers rise across the holiday period.

Why Is Golden Week Particularly Important This Year?

The potential increase in Chinese outbound tourism comes at a challenging time for parts of the Asian tourism industry.

Gary Bowerman, managing director of the industry newsletter Asia Travel Re: Set, told China Daily that the potential surge is particularly significant because tourism businesses have faced difficulties linked to the Middle East conflict and rising oil prices.

Higher operating costs and uncertainty affecting international travel have created additional challenges for tourism businesses. A strong Golden Week could therefore provide an important period of demand for destinations that rely heavily on international visitors.

For Asian markets, the Chinese outbound segment remains particularly important because of the scale of China’s travel market and its geographical proximity to many regional destinations.

Why Is Seoul Seeing Strong Chinese Travel Demand?

Seoul’s position at the top of Trip.com’s Golden Week flight-booking ranking has drawn particular attention.

An Yong-ju, a former professor of global leisure and tourism at South Korea’s Sun Moon University, attributed the increase in tourism demand partly to improved bilateral relations, describing them as a catalyst for stronger travel interest.

The ranking places Seoul ahead of Tokyo and Bangkok, demonstrating the continued strength of major East Asian and Southeast Asian destinations among Chinese travellers.

For Seoul, the Golden Week period also coincides with the city’s international tourism promotion efforts, including the Autumn Edition of Seoul Welcome Week.

What Does China’s Golden Week Mean for Asia’s Tourism Outlook?

China’s ultra-long Golden Week presents a significant opportunity for Asian destinations seeking to attract outbound travellers during an extended period of leisure.

The combination of the September Mid-Autumn Festival and October National Day holiday creates an unusually long travel window, while additional leave could allow some travellers to remain overseas for nearly two weeks.

Early flight bookings, strong demand for Seoul, Tokyo and Bangkok, growing interest in Australia and New Zealand, and targeted campaigns in Thailand, South Korea, the Maldives and Bali all point towards an increasingly competitive regional tourism market.

For destinations, the opportunity extends beyond simply attracting Chinese visitors. The longer holiday could encourage multi-destination travel, longer stays and greater spending across multiple tourism sectors.

As Asian destinations compete for this demand, the ability to combine convenient connectivity, culturally relevant experiences, targeted marketing and visitor-friendly services could become increasingly important during one of China’s most influential outbound travel periods.