China’s fall holiday has morphed into a travel opportunity to go much further than a short break. The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday lasted from 25th September to 27th September 2026, followed by the National Day holiday from 1st October to 7th October 2026.
Some took extra leave, resulting in a two-break vacation of up to 13 days. According to booking reports, the fewest trips were booked for Europe, Australia and New Zealand, which had the longest trips, while the most were booked for South Korea and Southeast Asia, where trips were the shortest. Of course, for readers who look at the top overseas destinations for China’s autumn holiday, the trend is obvious- more time leads to more adventurous trips.
South Korea Takes the Lead
South Korea was one of several countries to stand out in a number of travel reports. Seoul was the top overseas destination for the holiday, with flight bookings increasing 91% year on year, according to data from Trip.com Group.
In addition, there were hundreds of percent increases for bookings to Busan, Cheongju and Daegu, and the Jeju platform was among the top 10 destinations for flight bookings. Of those with plans abroad, 20.1% picked South Korea in Dragon Trail International’s stand-alone survey. The combined reports suggest that it’s in demand for its city living, shopping, food and coastal getaways.
Singapore and Southeast Asia Stay Popular
Singapore jumped up from 7th to 2nd position in Dragon Trail’s survey, where 6.6% planned to visit. Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore were also regular destinations for Qunar’s short-haul flights.
Beach breaks also captured some ground as well: Trip.com said it had seen a 78% increase in flights to Phuket and an 111% surge in bookings to Cebu, Philippines, a year ago. According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the number of flights to Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos increased by approximately 20%.
Longer Holidays Open the Door to Europe
This long break also benefited long-haul travel. Travel agency Spring Tour said it had all packages for Spain and Portugal, the Balkans, Northern Europe, Greece and New Zealand sold out by the middle of August.
Bookings for travel products in Europe, South America, Australia and New Zealand have increased by more than 40%, said Qunar. Between travellers aged 18-24, bookings in Queenstown rose 314% and bookings in Auckland rose 276% on Trip.com. There has been an increase of 84% in multi-destination tours, with some travellers taking the additional days to visit more than one destination.
Longer Stays, Careful Spending
Trip.com said the average outbound trip lasted more than nine days, while hotel bookings for stays of at least seven nights rose 123% year on year. Still, bigger travel plans do not always mean bigger budgets.
Dragon Trail’s survey found that mid-range hotels were the most popular option, selected by 33% of respondents, while only 5% planned to book luxury hotels. Travellers planning future autumn breaks should compare flight dates, check entry and visa rules, and confirm local advisories before paying. Rankings vary by platform, but China’s autumn holiday is fuelling both regional escapes and longer, multi-stop adventures.
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