An inflow of foreign tourists is expected during China's upcoming National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, with dozens of cities across the country seeing a spike in international airline and hotel bookings, according to online travel booking platforms.
The holiday period will run from Oct 1 to 8 this year.
Data showed that as of Friday, bookings for inbound and outbound air tickets exceeded 800,000, and international hotel reservations reached 2,852 cities worldwide.
The bookings indicate that a rush of foreign tourists are planning to visit China during the holiday to experience the festive atmosphere. International visitors have booked stays covering nearly 100 cities in China, with the largest increases in the cities of Hefei, Quanzhou, and Guiyang.
Another attractive destination, Zhangjiajie City of central China's Hunan Province, is drawing inbound tourism with its beautiful natural scenery and unique traditional culture.
"I'm also very interested in the local folk culture and cuisine of Zhangjiajie. My mom will soon come here, and we all are waiting, and we are all looking forward to the upcoming journey," said Russian tourist Anastasia.
Bookings for the holiday period have also surged at many village guesthouses. Deng Kaiyou, who manages a local farm stay, said that compared to previous years, bookings by foreign tourists have increased significantly.
In addition to the traditionally expected visitors from European and American countries, bookings by tourists from SCO member states increased significantly.
"Our farm stay is nearly 100 percent reserved for the first three days of the National Day holiday, and over 90 percent for the following days. Foreign guests accounted for around 40 percent of our stays," Deng said.
Bookings from foreign tourists surge in China for upcoming holiday
The Republic of Korea (ROK)'s former impeached President Yoon Suk-yeol on Friday was sentenced to five years in prison on arrest obstruction charges.
The criminal division of the Seoul Central District Court in charge of Yoon's obstruction of justice case handed down the prison sentence to Yoon for abusing the presidential security service to hinder the anti-corruption agency from executing its arrest warrant in January 2025.
The Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials (CIO) was once thwarted in its attempt to arrest Yoon as the presidential security service formed human shields and bus blockades to prevent investigators from entering the presidential residence.
The team of Cho Eun-suk, an independent counsel who led investigations into Yoon's insurrection and other charges, demanded a 10-year prison term for Yoon.
The court said Yoon privatized the presidential security service for personal safety and private interests by blocking the law enforcement agencies' lawful execution of an arrest warrant and attempting to destroy evidence, pointing out that despite the very bad nature of his crime, he consistently offered unconvincing excuses and showed no remorse.
The court stressed that severe punishment was necessary, considering the need to restore the rule of law damaged by Yoon's crime, but it noted that the fact that he was a first-time offender with no criminal record was considered a favorable factor.
The sentencing, which was broadcast live, was Yoon's first verdict coming from his botched martial law bid.
The first-instance sentencing for Yoon's insurrection charges was scheduled for Feb 19. The special counsel sought a death penalty for Yoon on the charges.
Yoon declared emergency martial law on the night of Dec 3 in 2024, but it was revoked hours later by the National Assembly.
The constitutional court upheld a motion to impeach Yoon in April 2025, officially removing him from office.
The ousted leader was indicted while in detention in January 2025 on charges of leading an insurrection, becoming the first sitting ROK president facing such prosecution.
ROK ex-president Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison on arrest obstruction charges
ROK ex-president Yoon sentenced to 5 years in prison on arrest obstruction charges
