China recorded a daily average of more than 2,000 international passenger flights operated by Chinese and foreign airlines during the just-concluded National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from Oct 1 to 8, representing a year-on-year increase of 10.6 percent.
During the holiday, the numbers of flights toward popular tourists destinations such as Singapore and Vitenam, and toward neighboring countries like Russia and Uzbekistan increased significantly, while airlines enhanced transport capacity on long-haul flights to the UAE, the UK, Switzerland, Egypt, and Spain to meet the travel demand.
According to data from online travel platforms, the flight bookings for outbound travels rose by over 30 percent year on year. Among youth and university students, the outbound flight bookings increased by over 50 percent.
For inbound travels, the domestic flight tickets booked by non-Chinese passport holders increased over 30 percent year on year, covering nearly 100 cities across China.
Compared with last year, inbound tourists preferred pint-sized, off-beat cities during the holiday, including Datong City in north China's Shanxi Province, which saw a seven-fold spike in foreign flight bookings, and Lijiang City in southwest China's Yunnan Province, which saw a five-fold spike.
Meanwhile, unconventional stops like Hami in Xinjiang and Erenhot in Inner Mongolia also welcomed flocks of international tourists.
China records daily average of over 2,000 int'l passenger flights during holiday
