Chinese travel preferences are shifting, as indicated by bookings during the 'Golden Week'.

Chinese people's travel patterns are shifting during "Golden Week," as outbound travel from China is expected to experience a significant boost.

During the National Day holiday from Oct. 1 to 7, Chinese travelers are booking more overseas trips due to the decline in airfare prices, according to Fliggy, a prominent travel booking platform in China.

According to Fliggy, a subsidiary of Alibaba Group, travelers are visiting their typical destinations in the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam in Southeast Asia, as well as the United States.

The fastest growth in bookings is for trips to destinations outside the region, including Chile, Croatia, Belgium, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Arab Emirates, and Sri Lanka, according to company data.

Goldman Sachs Equity Research predicts that China's domestic travel volume will increase by 5-6% compared to the previous year's holiday period. However, the outbound travel growth is expected to remain strong, with a growth rate of 62% year-over-year, which is approximately 94% of 2019 levels.

Longer trips, earlier bookings

During the upcoming Golden Week, China's largest online travel agency is experiencing a "significant shift" in bookings towards long-haul destinations, with Australia, the United States, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, France, and Spain being the top choices.

According to the company, the average Golden Week booking this year is more than seven days, but those heading to Europe are staying up to twice as long.

In Europe, five-star hotels are experiencing growth that is almost three times higher than in Asia-Pacific, despite most Golden Week travelers opting for mid-tier accommodations.

Nearly 1 in 3 travelers to Europe booked multi-destination itineraries, while 80% of Golden Week bookings within Asia-Pacific were for single-destination trips, according to Trip.com.

The Schengen-like visa, which would encourage travelers to visit multiple ASEAN countries, has been discussed among the nations in the region. However, the visa has not been implemented yet, applying to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.

Another sign of recovery? Travelers are booking trips earlier, indicating increasing confidence to travel. On average, travelers submitted visa applications 68 days before their trips, 29 days earlier than the previous year, according to Trip.com.

Seeking quiet and concerts

According to Trip.com's data, as Chinese tourists increasingly venture beyond organized sightseeing tours abroad, they are increasingly choosing to celebrate Golden Week in off-the-beaten-path locations, particularly in Asia and Europe.

During the Golden Week period, travelers are increasingly choosing to bypass Tokyo and Kyoto in favor of destinations like Yokohama, Takayama, and Ito, which experienced triple-digit growth, according to the company. Additionally, the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc is gaining popularity, as shown by the company's data.

According to Trip.com, bookings in Spain increased by 260% to Granada and 144% to Seville in Europe.

During Golden Week, a Fliggy report indicates that there has been a rise in the number of travelers renting cars and booking cruises, while the interest in outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, and sailing has also increased.

Chinese travelers are also greatly influenced by live entertainment, like the rest of the world.

More than 75% of Golden Week travelers heading to Asia-Pacific are millennials, who are booking trips to see John Legend and K-pop acts like Taemin and Taeyang.

During the upcoming Golden Week holiday, it is predicted that Hong Kong will receive approximately 1.2 million mainland Chinese tourists, which is a 10% increase from the previous year, as stated by the city's Travel Industry Council.

Spending expected to be resilient

Despite ongoing economic instability in China, travelers are spending approximately 6% more during this year's Golden Week compared to the previous year, as per Fliggy.

HSBC Global Research is optimistic about the Chinese online travel industry during the Golden Week, predicting a surge in traffic due to lower air and hotel prices.

According to a report, Qunar, a Beijing-based online travel agency, has observed that individuals from smaller cities in China are now choosing to travel abroad.

Outbound travel is increasing in lower-tier cities, with bookings from third-tier cities and below growing 2.5 times year over year, and those from second-tier cities increasing by 76 percent, according to Qunar.