Chinese flight bookings to Phuket up 78% for Golden Week

Flight bookings to Phuket by Chinese travellers for Golden Week 2026, which begins on October 1, have risen 78% year on year, while Chiang Mai is gaining popularity among Generation Z tourists, according to Trip.com Group’s pre-holiday outlook.

Trip.com Group’s booking growth figures compare average daily volumes across the relevant holiday periods. The increases reflect booking demand, not confirmed visitor arrivals.

Phuket’s popularity is part of a broader rise in Chinese demand for island holidays during Golden Week. Trip.com Group places Jeju and Bali among the 10 most-booked flight destinations, while flight bookings to Cebu have increased 111% year on year. 

Chiang Mai gains as Gen Z drives travel growth

Chiang Mai and Incheon are attracting growing interest from younger Chinese travellers for Golden Week, according to Trip.com Group. Millennials and Gen Z are important drivers of the holiday travel trends, with travellers aged 18–24 recording the strongest year-on-year booking growth of any age group. 

New Zealand is also gaining ground among Gen Z travellers drawn to natural landscapes for Golden Week. Trip.com Group reports year-on-year flight booking increases of 314% for Queenstown and 276% for Auckland among these younger travellers. 

Chinese travellers are showing stronger interest in mountain landscapes and coastal retreats for Golden Week, with searches for “scenic trips” and “nature getaways” rising 53% year on year, according to Trip.com Group. Cultural destinations are also attracting demand, with Brussels and Athens recording significant year-on-year increases in flight bookings. 

For domestic Golden Week travel in China, Trip.com Group identifies Qingdao, Lhasa and Kashgar among the fastest-growing flight destinations. Mountainous areas including Xiangxi, Zhangjiajie and Guilin are gaining popularity among domestic rail travellers. 

Chinese travellers plan longer overseas holidays

Chinese overseas trips were expected to average more than nine days during the extended holiday period, according to Trip.com Group’s pre-holiday outlook. With the Mid-Autumn Festival falling on the Friday before Golden Week, travellers could combine the breaks into a 13-day holiday by taking three additional days of leave.

More than half of Chinese outbound flight bookings were for departures before the October 1 start of Golden Week. Trip.com Group had forecast a sharp rise in departures from September 25, with daily peaks on September 25 and 30. 

Trip.com Group reports a 123% year-on-year increase in Golden Week hotel bookings for stays of seven nights or more, while bookings for London and Paris are also growing rapidly. Long-haul flight bookings were expected to record double-digit growth, with demand concentrated in major cities in Europe, Australia and the United States. 

Multi-destination bookings by Chinese travellers for Golden Week have risen 84% year on year as travellers plan to visit several cities on a single journey, according to Trip.com Group. Southeast Asia and Europe are popular regions for multi-stop trips, with combinations including Singapore–Bali, Hong Kong–Sydney and Amsterdam–Milan. 

China’s inbound travel expands beyond major cities

International demand for travel to China is also growing during the Mid-Autumn Festival and Golden Week period, according to Trip.com Group. Lesser-known destinations including Yanji, Dunhuang and Hailar are recording rapid increases in flight bookings. A

Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou continue to attract Golden Week visitors from Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. Trip.com Group reports growing interest in China among travellers of all ages, supported by the country’s cultural heritage and range of attractions. 

The Great Wall of China is among the most-booked attractions for international visitors during Golden Week, according to Trip.com Group. International passengers with layovers of more than eight hours can visit Beijing attractions through Trip.com’s free Beijing Express tours, launched in December 2024, with options including the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and Tiananmen Square. 

The Great Wall route accounts for more than half of all Beijing Express bookings and is the most popular option among international visitors during Golden Week, according to Trip.com Express Tours data. 

Seoul tops Golden Week flight destination rankings

Seoul ranks as the most popular Golden Week destination globally in Trip.com Group’s data, with international flight bookings up 91% year on year. Flight bookings to Busan, Cheongju and Daegu have also recorded triple-digit growth. 

Thai travellers are among the leading markets visiting Japan during Golden Week, alongside travellers from Malaysia and South Korea, according to Trip.com Group. Thailand therefore features in the holiday trends both as a popular destination for Chinese visitors and as an important outbound travel market.

The overlap between the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chuseok, one of South Korea’s most important holidays, is encouraging travel within Asia, according to Trip.com Group. Japanese and Chinese travellers are among the main groups contributing to stronger regional demand. 

South Korean travellers could extend their Chuseok break to September 19–27 by taking three additional days of leave. Trip.com Group reported year-on-year flight booking increases of 70% to Fukuoka and 68% to Shanghai during the holiday period.