Chinese Traveler Sentiment Report: September 2026

With 2026’s Mid-Autumn Festival falling on 25 September, followed by China’s National Day on 1 October, Chinese workers have the option to take just three days of annual leave to get a 13-day holiday. How will this impact Golden Week travel, already an annual peak for outbound trips and especially for long-haul travel? From August, Chinese travel agencies and travel analysts have been reporting year-on-year increases in hotel and flight bookings for both domestic and outbound trips.

To get a more complete picture of what the global travel industry should expect from China’s 2026 Golden Week, as well as longer-term trends in Chinese tourism, Dragon Trail Research surveyed 1,010 mainland Chinese travelers this August about their outbound trips in 2026, overseas destination perceptions, family travel, and their use of artificial intelligence for travel planning,

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Based on our survey results, we forecast a sizeable increase in Chinese outbound travel during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday period, with trips staggered over a two-week period. South Korea stands out as the leading destination, with Singapore growing in popularity, and top long-haul destinations including France, Iceland, Australia, the Maldives, and Germany. Travelers plan to spend between RMB10,000-20,000 per person for these outbound trips, with a noticeable preference for mid-budget accommodation.

Beyond Golden Week, we see improved safety rankings and interest in most global destinations compared to our spring 2026 survey. This report also analyzes what’s driving Chinese traveler interest to six long-haul regions, emphasizing the universal appeal of different landscapes and cultures, alongside the unique attributes that make each region stand out.

What should tourism marketers take away from this report? Respondents’ answers about destinations reveal the wide-ranging impact of video marketing, while our findings on family travel highlight opportunities for developing tour products and experiences to suit multiple generations. We also see steady growth in the impact of AI tools on Chinese travelers’ plans, and predict that the anticipated rollout of WeChat’s native AI feature will accelerate this in the coming year.

These are our 6 top takeaways from the report:

1) Outbound trips and travel plans show year-on-year growth, with a long Golden Week holiday bringing further potential
As of early August, 77% of surveyed Chinese travelers have already traveled or have plans to travel outbound in 2026, 10 percentage points higher than during the same period last year. The extended Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday period shows even more pronounced growth in outbound travel intention, with 54% saying they have plans to travel outbound, up from 35% in 2025.

2) Mid-range accommodation dominates Golden Week travel preferences
Survey respondents showed a preference for mid-range accommodation over luxury options during the 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays: mid-range hotels were the most popular choice (33%), followed by economy hotels (29%). This trend is also reflected in accommodation budgets.

3) Safety perceptions and travel interest have improved for nearly all destinations
Survey respondents’ safety ratings for Middle Eastern destinations and interest in traveling there have recovered significantly since our spring survey. However, they are still lower than before the Iran war, demonstrating the lingering impact of this conflict on traveler sentiment. Safety rankings and travel interest also improved since the spring for nearly every other destination and world region.

4) Video marketing is driving interest in long-haul regions around the world
Although respondents gave a diverse list of reasons behind their interest in the six long-haul regions included in the survey, one influence kept coming up: Short videos, promotional videos, documentary videos, and video platforms are driving interest in travel to the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, and Oceania.

5) 70% of Chinese travelers would choose a group tour or other organized trip when taking their families overseas, but they are disappointed in the available itineraries
While the largest group – 30% – of survey respondents who travel overseas with family say they prefer to travel independently, the remaining 70% chose from among a selection of more organized trips, including standard group tours, private groups, semi-independent travel, and cruises. However, survey respondents bemoaned the lack of travel itineraries suitable for multi-generational groups in need of a slower pace.

6) AI is gradually helping more Chinese travelers
While nearly all survey respondents used AI to plan travel in the last year, just 16% said it had genuinely helped them. However, this is up from 10% in 2025, and 5% in 2024 – evidence of improvement in the technology’s capabilities, and travelers’ understanding of how to use them. Doubao has pulled ahead to become the most-used AI platform by Chinese travelers over the past year.

About this report

The September 2026 Chinese Traveler Sentiment Report is published by Dragon Trail Research (a division of Dragon Trail International), based on our own survey of 1,010 Chinese travelers in first-tier, new first-tier, second-tier, and third-tier cities throughout China. In addition to these reports, Dragon Trail Research also offers a number of services to travel brands and businesses, including bespoke consumer and trade surveys, focus groups and more. Please click here or contact us for more information on how we can help you get the information you need on China’s travel market.

About Dragon Trail

Dragon Trail Research is a division of Dragon Trail International, an award-winning marketing solutions company with roots in China and extensive experience in the global travel and MICE sectors. Since 2009, our international team of digital solutions and marketing specialists has been helping leading brands around the world to become more globally connected and competitive. Our clients include national and regional destination marketing organizations, event organizers, international organizations, hotels, airlines, cruise lines, attractions, retailers and more.