Data Insights: Popular destinations for China's Mid-Autumn holiday

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, a time for family reunions, many people in mainland China took the opportunity to travel.

According to China Mobile's Wutong Big Data data, the average distance traveled home during the holiday was 253 kilometers. Notably, 63% of travelers returned home within 200 kilometers, 27% traveled between 200 and 500 kilometers, and 10% made long journeys of over 500 kilometers. This indicates that short-distance travelers were the main force behind this year's Mid-Autumn holiday returns.

In addition to returning home, many took advantage of the holiday to explore scenic spots.

The data revealed that popular tourist destinations during this Mid-Autumn Festival included Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Xi'an. Furthermore, some unique lesser-known destinations saw a surge in popularity, with Jin Cheng, Jingdezhen, Da Hinggan Ling, Qinhuangdao, and the Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture ranking among the top five in terms of visitor increases.

Moon-gazing and lantern viewing have always been traditional activities during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

This year, Chinese Traditional Night Tours centered around lantern displays became a hot trend in cultural tourism. Popular parks for lantern viewing included Beijing's Garden Expo Park, Guangzhou's Cultural Park, Hefei's Luogang Park, Chongqing's Yongchuan Songgai Ancient Town, and Wuxi's Meiyuan Hengshan Scenic Area.

With China's visa-free travel policies expanding, inbound tourism surged during the Mid-Autumn Festival, with a 22% increase in international visitors compared to last year. Southeast Asia, Europe, and Africa saw the most significant growth in inbound travelers. Provinces such as Shanxi, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou, and Hunan also experienced substantial increases in visitor numbers, with some provinces seeing more than double the number of inbound tourists compared to the previous year.

Related News: 

Chinapedia | Different Mid-Autumn Festival traditions in China

Watch This | Celebrating diversity: A joyous Malaysia Day and Mid-Autumn Festival