Chinese travelers to spend US$37 million for Golden Week National Day holiday

Chinese travelers are set to spend 250 million yuan (US$37 million) on buying tickets online as the week-long National Day holiday from October 1 approaches, Shanghai Daily learned on Wednesday.

The popular destinations in China during the Golden Week are Yunnan and Hainan provinces — from snow mountains to white beaches. Shanghai, Beijing and Nanjing residents are most willing to travel during the festival, said Tuniu, an online travel website.

In the run-up to the National Day holiday, 250 million yuan are set to be spent online on travel, said payment firm Worldpay which tracks online airline and accommodation booking.

Airlines are experiencing exponential growth as consumer appetite for international travel grows, said Phillip Shi, country manager for China at Worldpay, who called it “gold rush.”

Italy, Swiss and France are top overseas destinations for Chinese tourists during the festival while Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are also popular, said Tuniu.

Hainan and Yunnan provinces as well as northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Gansu Province are top choices, according to the Tuniu report.