The country's National Immigration Administration said the average number of domestic and international trips per day reached 1.477 million during the Golden Week period, as the Mid-Autumn Festival coincided with China's National Day holiday this year.
Tourists flood the Great Wall during the holiday on October 1, 2023. Photo: Reuters
The figure is equivalent to 85.1% of the average number of trips made during the same period in 2019 and nearly four times the average for 2022, Chinese authorities said. China had previously expected an average of 1.58 million daily passenger trips to and from the holiday.
The recovery in international travel from Chinese tourists will benefit many tourism-dependent businesses around the world .
Before COVID-19, mainland Chinese tourists spent more than any other country when traveling abroad, totaling $255 billion in 2019, with group tours accounting for an estimated 60% of that.
Booking platforms and agents say Chinese tourists looking to travel abroad prefer cheaper Asian destinations, with Thailand so far the preferred choice after the country introduced a visa-free program.
Spending on domestic trips during the holiday was also higher than pre - pandemic levels, with an average of 911.6 yuan ($124.86) spent per trip, compared with 830.8 yuan per trip in 2019 when the holiday lasted seven days and 680.6 yuan last year, according to Chinese government data released Friday.
Tourists made 826 million trips within mainland China, up 71.3% from a year earlier and 4.1% higher than in 2019, according to data released by Xinhua news agency.
Mai Anh (according to Reuters, CNA)
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