Asia-Pacific's Autumn Travel Boom Sees Rising Demand for Emerging Destinations

Chiang Mai, Surabaya and Busan lead city-level booking growth, while Japan dominates the world's autumn foliage spots and Gen Z drives flight bookings

SINGAPORE, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Emerging destinations across Asia-Pacific are seeing strong booking growth this autumn, as travellers explore a wider range of cities across the region. New data from Trip.com Group, a leading global travel service provider, reveals Chiang Mai (+84.3%), Surabaya (+63.1%) and Busan (+62.7%) among the fastest-growing cities, while Japan dominates the world's autumn foliage spots, securing 11 of the top 12 places.

Emerging Destinations Shine as Chiang Mai Leads Asia-Pacific's Fastest-Growing Cities

Chiang Mai led city-level booking growth across Asia-Pacific, surging 84.3% year-on-year, followed by Surabaya (+63.1%), Busan (+62.7%), Manila (+55.1%) and Jakarta (+38.1%).

Travellers from Mainland China contributed significantly to this momentum, accounting for much of the bookings across these five cities, with bookings concentrated around affordable, short-haul travel experiences and growing interest in exploring a wider range of destinations.

South Korea Leads Regional Flight Growth, with Busan and Seoul Posting Strong Gains

Demand extended beyond Seoul, with bookings in Busan up 62.7% and Jeju City up 31.4% year-on-year. Seoul maintained its appeal as a major travel hub, recording a further 37.1% increase in the same period, highlighting strong demand across the country's diverse destinations.

Japan Dominates World's Top 12 Autumn Foliage Attractions

Japan dominates Trip.Best's 2026 Global Top 50 Autumn Foliage Attractions, securing 11 of the world's top 12 spots.

Kyoto's Arashiyama claimed first place globally, followed by Kiyomizu-dera Temple and Tōfuku-ji Temple. Tokyo's Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and Osaka Castle Park rounded out the top five, highlighting Japan's appeal for seasonal travel experiences.

Gen Z Is Flying More This Autumn, and Staying Longer Too

Gen Z recorded double-digit year-on-year growth in flight bookings, the strongest of any generation, with Boomers and Gen X also posting double-digit gains. Millennials remained the largest traveller segment, accounting for nearly half of hotel and flight bookings.

Travellers are also spending longer at their destinations, with average hotel stays increasing in Mainland China to slightly over 2 nights. In Mainland China, 62.7% of bookings covered two or more cities, reflecting interest in exploring beyond a single destination.

Autumn Travel Inspiration Surges on Trip.Moments as Trip.com Enhances AI-Powered Discovery

Autumn travel inspiration is gaining momentum on Trip.Moments, Trip.com's traveller community platform, with autumn-viewing posts surging 203% year-on-year and 242% month-on-month to 2,497 in September. Engagement also climbed, with comments rising 616% year-on-year and 1,404% month-on-month to 12,457. Interest continued into October, with daily comments peaking at 1,415 on 6 October, reflecting sustained enthusiasm for discovering and sharing seasonal travel experiences.

As travellers increasingly turn to digital platforms for inspiration, Trip.com is enhancing the journey from discovery to booking with its AI-powered Trip Discovery Agent. Rolling out in stages, the feature helps travellers discover and compare destinations, whether they are exploring new ideas or narrowing down their choices. Initially available in English and Traditional Chinese, it can be accessed by pulling down on the Home or Trips page of the Trip.com app.

About Trip.com Group

Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider comprising Trip.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, and Qunar. Across its platforms, Trip.com Group helps travellers around the world make informed and cost-effective bookings for travel products and services and enables partners to connect their offerings with users through the aggregation of comprehensive travel-related content and resources, and an advanced transaction platform consisting of apps, websites and 24/7 customer service centres. Founded in 1999 and listed on NASDAQ in 2003 and HKEX in 2021, Trip.com Group has become one of the best-known travel groups in the world, with the mission "to pursue the perfect trip for a better world". Find out more about Trip.com Group here: group.trip.com.

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Asia-Pacific's Autumn Travel Boom Sees Rising Demand for Emerging Destinations

Asia-Pacific's Autumn Travel Boom Sees Rising Demand for Emerging Destinations

NEW YORK, Oct. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Hilco Global IP Services practice today officially released the first additional details about its offering of the Omniverse Collection, created by Stan Lee. The portfolio includes more than 200 characters, story worlds, trademarks and other largely unexploited creative assets. Three properties will stand out for many buyers: The Femizons, Slam-Girl, and The Accuser. Offers are due by 12:00 noon ET, December 8, 2026. The firm was engaged by Stan Lee Holdings, Ltd. (SLH) to conduct the sale.

The Collection captures Stan Lee's visionary effort to reinvent super hero entertainment for the Internet age through original characters, connected digital worlds and audience participation. A buyer has an opportunity to extend Lee's historic creative legacy by developing new characters, expanding existing worlds and creating interactive experiences for global audiences.

The Femizons is a female-led franchise introduced by Stan Lee in 1971 and rebooted in 1991. The franchise of heroes and villains includes more than 40 characters, is set in a world where women hold dominant societal power, and carries a heritage and modern-day relevance that few properties can match.

Slam-Girl, created by Stan Lee with animation director Will Meugniot in 2000 as the internet-age super hero for the new millennium, is a reluctant, budding feminist heroine with a twist on the classic origin story. Shirrel Rhoades, the former Marvel Entertainment executive vice president and Stan Lee confidant advising SLH, calls her Stan's intended next generation super hero.

The Accuser, also created by Lee in 2000, is a former attorney turned super hero. Paralyzed by a horrific attack that also killed his wife, a mysterious benefactor then gifts him a wheelchair which transforms into mechanized armor capable of moving his legs. The Collection includes 22 webisodes, a TV script, and an opportunity to evolve a character with a special connection to differently abled people globally.

"The Omniverse Collection constitutes original IP with meaningful creator provenance, substantial creative flexibility, and room for a new owner to define the canon, audience, and commercial strategy," said Eric Hurwitz, Senior Director of the Hilco Global IP Services practice. "This is a compelling value proposition for a studio, publisher, game company, licensing business, entertainment operator, or strategic investor."

"These are pieces of a living universe in which characters can be created, experienced, and expanded across every form of media," added Shirrel Rhoades, Stan Lee Collaborator and Former EVP at Marvel Entertainment. "I look forward to seeing how the Collection's acquirer applies their own vision to achieve, and even surpass, the future that my friend and colleague, Stan Lee, imagined for these creations."

Parties can contact Eric Hurwitz at ehurwitz@hilcoglobal.com or Stella Silverstein at ssilverstein@hilcoglobal.com to register interest and access collection documentation in the official data room. More details are forthcoming.

About Hilco Global:
Hilco Global, a subsidiary of ORIX Corporation USA, is a diversified financial services company that delivers integrated professional services and capital solutions that help clients maximize value and drive performance across the retail, commercial and industrial, real estate, manufacturing, and intellectual property sectors. Hilco Global provides a range of customized solutions to healthy, stressed, and distressed companies to resolve complex situations and enhance long-term enterprise value. Hilco Global works to deliver the best possible result by aligning interests with clients and providing strategic advice and, in many instances, the capital required to transact. Hilco Global is based in Northbrook, Illinois and has more than 810 professionals operating on four continents. Visit www.hilcoglobal.com.

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Hilco Global Unmasks First Super Hero Identities, Franchise Details for Sale of the Omniverse Collection, Created by the Legendary Stan Lee