Chinese Return to Travel: 54% Plan Outbound Trip During Golden Week
The proportion of Chinese citizens intending to travel abroad during Golden Week rose to 54% from 35% in 2025, with South Korea topping the destinations alongside a surge in Chinese arrivals in Thailand.
The percentage of Chinese travelers intending to travel abroad during the Golden Week holiday rose to 54% from 35% in 2025, according to a recent survey, indicating a strong recovery in demand for outbound tourism.
South Korea topped the list of planned destinations at 20.1%, followed by Singapore at 6.6%, reflecting a preference for nearby Asian destinations.
Thailand recorded 522,500 foreign arrivals in the week from September 27 to October 3, an 8.24% week-on-week increase, including 133,900 Chinese visitors, up 41.98%.
In Malaysia, authorities expect the hotel occupancy rate in Penang and Sabah to exceed 80% during the holiday, highlighting the volume of regional travel demand in Asia.
What do these terms mean?
Golden Week: A long national holiday in China lasting a week around October 1, considered one of the busiest travel periods in the world.
Outbound Tourism: The travel of a country's citizens outside its borders, usually measured by the number of travelers and their spending in host destinations.
Hotel Occupancy Rate: The percentage of booked rooms relative to the total available rooms, used to measure the strength of tourism demand in a specific destination.
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