A growing number of people in China are opting for off-peak travel due to fewer crowds and the decline in flight and hotel prices following the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, leading to a significant surge in customer inquiries in many travel agencies.
A travel agency in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, was bustling with customers, many of whom were seniors. They were interested in a range of travel options, from tours within Guangdong to long-distance domestic and outbound trips.
"We want to go to Henan to visit Laojun Mountain and the Red Flag Canal. Our group of more than a dozen classmates, all retired, will be traveling together. Since tourist spots are crowded with students during the summer and winter holidays, we'd like to leave those periods for them. We senior travelers are better off taking our trips during the off-peak season," said Mrs. Huang, a local resident.
"The desert poplar forest in Xinjiang and Ejina Banner, and regions like Beijing, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan are all top choices for off-peak travel. For example, a 10-day tour in Xinjiang that cost about 12,000 yuan (around 1,684.7 U.S. dollars) during the National Day holiday can be booked for just over 5,000 yuan in November, a reduction of over 50 percent," said Guan Jian, brand manager of the travel agency.
Besides silver-haired travelers, some office workers enjoying their annual leave were among the off-peak tour groups at the departure hall of Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport.
"We booked our tickets in August. We will depart from Hong Kong to Shenzhen and then take a flight to Beijing. From Beijing, we will catch another flight to Russia. It's a good time for travel now as the weather is pleasant and the border crossings are now very convenient to get through quickly," said a tourist from Hong Kong.
"My last trip was in July. At that time, the round-trip ticket price between Shenzhen and Xi'an exceeded 2,000 yuan. Now, the price is just over 1,000 yuan," said a tourist from northwest China's Shaanxi Province.
"For flights departing between now and Oct 31, the average ticket price has dropped by 36 percent compared with that in the National Day holiday, a decrease of nearly 40 percent. Meanwhile, the average price for chain hotels has also fallen by nearly 30 percent from the holiday period. Meanwhile, the average price for international flights and hotels have each decreased by about 20 percent compared with the National Day holiday levels," said Shi Ke, researcher at the Big Data Research Institute of the online travel service provider Qunar.
Off-peak travel booms in China amid post-holiday price plunge
A former television host from Taiwan, Zhai Xuan, has made a pivotal decision to leave mainstream broadcasting in order to create content that provides a better understanding of the Chinese mainland and cross-strait relations.
Zhai, a seasoned television host with over a decade of experience in Taiwan's media landscape, recently addressed an audience at an event in Beijing, where she revealed her complete transition into independent online media.
In her remarks, she articulated her aspiration to bridge what she perceives as a significant information gap between audiences on both sides of the Strait, highlighting her commitment to fostering a deeper understanding and connection through her new endeavors.
"I was really surprised by all the fake news. There were stories saying people on the mainland can't afford tea eggs or that they live in mud houses and in Taiwan, this was the main information many people received," said Zhai.
Zhai said she initially began producing online videos to challenge such perceptions while continuing her work as a television host.
In April 2025, she travelled to the mainland with her father to fulfill her late grandfather's wish to return to his hometown. The trip, which reunited family members separated since 1949, was recorded in a video series titled "Journey to Find Our Roots", drawing attention from viewers in both Taiwan and the mainland.
"Many people in Taiwan told me that after watching, they wanted to apply for a mainland travel permit immediately and go looking for their relatives. Some had long forgotten these things, but after seeing my story, they began thinking about their hometowns and family members they had never met and decided to search for their roots," Zhai shared her story at the event.
By mid-2025, Zhai said she began to feel increasing pressure amid rising political tensions and a tightening atmosphere around cross-Strait exchanges in Taiwan.
After more than 12 years in the industry, Zhai resigned from her position, believing it was the right thing to do.
"At that moment, I felt this was a major issue，not just for me, but for Chinese people on both sides of the Strait. If I backed down then, I wouldn’t be standing on the right side," said Zhai.
Since leaving television, Zhai has broadened her online programming to encompass a range of daily-life topics, including practical guidance on applying for a mainland travel permit and using commonly employed mobile applications, in addition to content that delves into historical memory and cultural connections across the Strait.
As the debate over cross-Strait relations continues in Taiwan, Zhai said she remains committed to her current path.
Former Taiwan TV host bridges cross-Strait divide via online media
