Fliggy, a popular travel platform, has shared insights into the travel trends for the 2025 Labor Day holiday, showing a significant increase in both trip durations and per capita spending compared to last year.
This year, many travelers took advantage of extra leave days to extend the standard five-day Labor Day holiday to eleven days. Fliggy’s data reveals a noticeable shift in return travel patterns, with peak return dates falling later than in previous years, reflecting a longer average trip duration.
Rising Demand for Comfort and Customized Travel
Fliggy’s data shows that travelers are increasingly seeking comfort and personalized experiences. Customized tour bookings saw an impressive rise of over 80% year-on-year (YoY). This trend was especially strong in popular tourist spots such as Beijing, Tibet, Shaanxi, Xinjiang, and Sichuan, where related product bookings jumped by over 300% compared to the previous year. Small private group tours, with 5-10 people, were particularly popular.
Moreover, luxury travel also gained ground, with bookings for four- to five-star hotels and high-end accommodations through Fliggy’s flagship stores rising by more than 20% YoY, continuing a strong growth trend.
Road trips also remained a popular choice, with domestic car rentals up by 35% YoY. Cities like Pu’er (Yunnan), Jinhua (Zhejiang), Datong (Shanxi), Yili (Xinjiang), and Taizhou (Zhejiang) saw car rental bookings double, up 100% YoY. Travelers also showed increased interest in nature destinations and locations within a one- to two-hour drive from major cities.
Popular Destinations and Unique Experiences
Major cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Xi’an remained popular. However, less-traveled, long-haul destinations also gained popularity, with bookings to scenic spots like Beitun (Xinjiang), Qamdo (Tibet), Golog (Qinghai), Nujiang (Yunnan), and Tunchang (Hainan) rising by more than 100% YoY.
Travelers are now more focused on unique experiences, preferring activities such as island vacations, rainforest trekking, desert camel rides, stargazing, and tea-mountain tours. Additionally, there was a noticeable demand for vacations centered around relaxation, crowd-free destinations, and deep cultural exploration.
Visa-Friendly Policies Stimulate Outbound Travel
Fliggy also noted a significant increase in outbound travel, driven by extended holiday breaks and favorable visa policies. Outbound bookings for flights, hotels, and cruises surged, with cruise bookings alone seeing a 60% YoY increase.
Top outbound destinations for Chinese travelers included Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, the U.S., and France. Emerging destinations like Iceland, Hungary, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Norway also experienced rapid growth, with bookings increasing by over 170% YoY.
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