Flight bookings have surged sharply across China as people prepare for the eight-day National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday running from Oct 1 to 8.
Data from the flight travel app Umetrip showed that domestic flight bookings for the vacation have exceeded 10.19 million as of Friday, marking a 6-percent increase in average daily bookings compared to the same period last year.
While major metropolitan hubs and traditional first-tier cities remain top choices, tropical island getaways are attracting growing enthusiasm from holidaymakers drawn by their warm weather.
"Daily flight bookings to cities of Haikou and Sanya have both risen by more than 20 percent year on year. Meanwhile, border cities known for their unique autumn scenery, such as Urumqi, Ili, Altay, Lhasa, and Nyingchi, have also seen a significant growth in passenger traffic," said Zhao Nan, general manager of the industry development department.
Smaller airports are expected to experience a surge in travelers during the upcoming holiday. Daily bookings at these airports have risen by 18 percent compared to last year.
In Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region alone, nine regional airports, including those in cities of Turpan, Tacheng, and Shache, have recorded flight booking increases of over 50 percent. The airport in Turpan leads the trend with a 150-percent surge, while the airport in Tacheng has seen flight bookings more than double.
"The business boom for smaller regional airports has spread beyond Xinjiang. It has also become a major highlight of this year's tourism market in the south during the National Day holiday. Data shows that southern cities, such as Yongzhou in Hunan, Foshan in Guangdong, and Sanming in Fujian, have seen remarkable increases in bookings at their regional airports, with growth of 125 percent, 90 percent, and 76 percent respectively," said Shi Ke, a researcher at the Big Data Research Institute of the online travel service provider Qunar.
Flight bookings surge across China ahead National Day holiday
