Bangkok ranks No 1 on Tongcheng’s Golden Week 2026 list
Japan drops out of Tuniu’s top 10 for China’s 2026 National Day holiday as Thailand and other Southeast Asian destinations draw travellers
- Bangkok is ranked as the top destination for Chinese tourists traveling outside the mainland for the 2026 National Day "Golden Week" holiday, according to Tongcheng Travel.
- This reflects a broader trend of Chinese travelers favoring Southeast Asian destinations, with Kuala Lumpur and Seoul ranked second and third, respectively.
- The rise in Bangkok's popularity coincides with a sharp decline in travel to Japan, which fell from its previous top spot due to political tensions between Beijing and Tokyo.
- Supporting this trend, airlines have increased flights from China to Southeast Asian countries, including Thailand, by 20% for the holiday period.
Bangkok ranks first on Tongcheng Travel’s list of destinations outside mainland China for the country’s October 1–7 National Day holiday in 2026, as Chinese travellers increasingly favour Southeast Asia over Japan amid tensions between Beijing and Tokyo. Tongcheng Travel places Kuala Lumpur second and Seoul third, with Singapore, Bali and Ho Chi Minh City also among its top 10 destinations.
China’s National Day break is a major leisure travel period, unlike the Lunar New Year holiday, when journeys tend to centre on returning home for family reunions. The September 25–27 Mid-Autumn Festival break has also allowed some travellers to take
additional leave and combine the two holidays into a 13-day break.
Airlines increase flights to four Southeast Asian countries by 20%
Airlines have increased flights from China to Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos by a combined 20% for the holiday travel period. Long-haul services to the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain have risen by 15%.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China expects 31.19 million passenger journeys between September 25 and October 7, 2026, up 3.6% from a year earlier. International flight bookings for the holiday period have increased by 22.5% year on year.
Japan falls out of Tuniu’s top 10
Japan has dropped out of travel company Tuniu’s top 10 overseas destinations for China’s 2026 National Day holiday, after taking first place in 2025. Indonesia, Turkey and South Korea are among the most popular destinations in Tuniu’s latest rankings.
Japanese cities had featured prominently in bookings for the 2025 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, with Tokyo ranked third and Osaka eighth.
Chinese travel to Japan began declining after Beijing urged its citizens to avoid visiting the country in November 2025. The warning followed remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi about a possible Japanese response if China attacked Taiwan.
Chinese visitor arrivals in Japan fell by 56.4% year on year during the first six months of 2026, according to figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
A Chinese traveller in Shanghai said they had originally wanted to visit Japan during the holiday but found that air fares had increased as the number of flights declined.
China expects 2.13 billion journeys during the holiday
China’s Ministry of Transport forecasts 2.13 billion domestic journeys during the seven-day National Day holiday, averaging roughly 300 million a day, about 70% above normal levels. Railway operators and airlines have added services to accommodate the demand.
October 1 was forecast to be the busiest day, with as many as 340 million journeys, almost twice the normal level.
More than 90% of China’s holiday journeys are expected to be by road, including trips in private cars. Expressway tolls are waived for passenger vehicles with seven seats or fewer from October 1 to 7.
China Railway Beijing Group expects to handle 22.32 million passenger journeys during its 16-day holiday transport period from September 23 to October 8. The operator forecast its busiest day would be October 1, with 1.79 million passenger journeys.
China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also launched a nationwide campaign to encourage tourism spending, running from late September until the end of October.
Local governments plan more than 20,000 cultural and tourism events, alongside over 310 million yuan, approximately 1.55 billion baht, in consumer vouchers and subsidies.
