Golden Week crowds send Chinese tourists worldwide
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
China’s overlapping Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays have created an unusually long break for many travellers, helping drive a wave of outbound tourism during the current vacation period. Social media discussion around the phrase “the whole world knows Chinese people are on holiday” rose to the top of trending topics as travellers reported seeing large numbers of fellow Chinese tourists across Europe and Australia. Accounts from Venice, Florence, Rome, London and Australian landmarks describe packed attractions, transport and restaurants, reinforcing the sense that Chinese holidaymakers are travelling in force this year.
Key Points
- Under the 2026 holiday arrangement, some mainland residents could turn the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day break into a 13-day vacation by taking three days off
- A video from the Twelve Apostles in Australia showed crowded seaside boardwalks, with a long-term Chinese resident saying Chinese visitors could make up about 90% at major sites
- Travellers in Sydney and Melbourne said Chinese tourists were everywhere at attractions and stations, making it easy to hear and understand nearly every nearby conversation
- In Florence, traveller Zheng said buses were so crowded on the way to Piazzale Michelangelo that passengers could barely board or reach card readers
- China’s civil aviation authorities said on September 24 that international air-ticket bookings for the holiday period were up 22.5% year on year, while long-haul flights to Britain, Germany and Spain rose 15%
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the story offers a snapshot of how concentrated mainland holiday demand can reshape travel conditions far beyond Asia, affecting crowd levels, transport and dining at major destinations. It also suggests that long public-holiday windows can quickly translate into stronger outbound aviation demand and heavier competition for popular routes and attractions.