CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- As the Mid-autumn Festival approaches, the tourism market is expected to experience another peak following the summer high season.

On September 4, Fliggy released its 2024 Mid-autumn Festival Travel Trend Report, revealing a significant rise in travel service bookings for the upcoming holiday. Compared with that in 2019, bookings for domestic hotels, car rentals, and tickets have all seen double-digit growth. Overall booking volumes for the Mid-autumn Festival are also noticeably higher compared with that during the Dragon Boat Festival.

Unlike last year’s eight-day Mid-autumn and National Day holiday, this year’s Mid-autumn Festival features a trend towards short- to medium-distance trips. “Micro-vacations” to nearby cities within the province and neighboring provinces are popular, with high-star hotels and boutique guesthouses performing particularly well.

Fliggy data shows that domestic hotel bookings for the Mid-autumn Festival have increased by about 50% compared with that in 2019, with high-star hotels and boutique guesthouses accounting for 60% of bookings. This trend is particularly evident in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Zhuhai, Beijing-Tianjin, and Sichuan-Chongqing metropolitan areas.

In Chongqing, hotel bookings have surged compared with that in 2019, with high-star hotels and guesthouses accounting for nearly 70% of the total. Popular booking areas include Jiefangbei Pedestrian Street, Guanyinqiao Pedestrian Street, Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport, Hongya Cave, and the People’s Liberation Monument.

Additionally, car rentals for self-drive trips or “high-speed train + car rentals” are popular among intercity and neighboring province travelers. Fliggy data indicates that domestic car rental bookings for the Mid-autumn Festival have more than doubled compared with that in 2019, with the average rental period shortening by about 1 day. Urumqi, Sanya, Chengdu, Guiyang, and Shanghai are popular car rental destinations, with high-speed train stations being the top choices for rental pick-up locations.

This year’s Mid-autumn Festival is marked by a stronger focus on family reunions and nighttime activities. Fliggy data shows that traditional customs such as moon-viewing, flower-watching, lantern festivals, and temple fairs have gained popularity, with interest increasing by about 60% compared with that in last year. In addition, activities like family-friendly amusement parks, Hanfu photo shoots, luxury hotel reunion dinners, and themed travel shows have also seen notable growth.

Top domestic destinations include Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Xi’an, thanks to their rich surrounding travel resources. Meanwhile, emerging destinations such as Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Jingdezhen, Yanbian, Datong, and Diqing have shown rapid growth, often high than one time compared with that in 2019.

In terms of cost-effectiveness, domestic flight and hotel prices for the Mid-autumn Festival have decreased compared with that in last year and the summer peak, though they are slightly higher than that of the same period in 2019. Visitors can achieve a better cost-effectiveness by avoiding the first and last days of the holiday. (Translated by Vichy, Fathom Language Limited)