China saw another big jump in holiday travel at home and overseas during Golden Week.
China’s annual holiday exodus saw 726 million domestic trips during the October 1-7 holiday period, which is up more than 9% from 2017.
That is equivalent to the entire population of Europe.
It generated a cool US$87 billion in travel related revenues, the ministry of tourism and culture said.
Unsurprisingly trains, planes and roads were crammed with travellers.
The China Railway Corporation added an extra 814 trains to get travellers home after the holidays, according to Xinhua News.
On Sunday alone, Beijing Capital International Airport handled more than 1,700 flights and overall, 1.74 million passengers passed through the airport during the week-long holidays.
Ministry of tourism and culture data also shows the changing habits of Chinese travellers.
Bookings for alternative accommodation including via short-term rental platforms and homestays were up five-fold compared to last year.
More customised trips are fast becoming the norm, rather than cramming onto beaches, shopping or visiting the usual historic or natural sites.
"We see an increase in the quality of consumer demand. People are no longer satisfied with just looking around. They want a more in-depth experience," said Bai Ming, deputy director of the ministry of commerce’s International Market Research Institute.
Preliminary data from Ctrip says for overseas travellers, Japan, Thailand and South Korea were the top destinations.
