# East Asian travel demand surges amid economic and labor jitf > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/china-holiday-tourism-and-retail-preparations > Updated: 2026-09-29T03:49:22.000Z. Sources: 28. Developments: 6. As China approaches the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, the travel and retail sectors are implementing various strategies to capture consumer spending. Private hospitality and retail entities, such as IHG Hotels & Resorts and China Duty Free Group, are launching early booking offers and ‘Super Golden Week’ campaigns. Complementing these private initiatives, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is leading a national campaign to boost tourism and cultural spending through over 20,000 events and 310 million yuan in consumer vouchers. Recent data indicates a significant surge in travel demand. The National Immigration Administration reported 6.709 million border crossings during the Mid-Autumn holiday, representing a 16.8% increase from the previous year. Travelers are increasingly utilizing bridge holidays to create extended trips of up to 13 days. This aligns with a shift toward long-distance travel and service-based experiences, with bookings for domestic flights exceeding 1,200 kilometers seeing a 56% monthly increase. Regional demand remains high in Macao, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, where high-speed rail experienced record-breaking passenger volumes. However, new challenges have emerged ahead of the National Day ‘Golden Week’. Analysts suggest that a prolonged economic slowdown, deflationary pressures, and a property market downturn are suppressing individual spending, with average spending per trip reaching a three-year low. Additionally, rising labor discontent has surfaced on social media. Workers are expressing frustration over requirements to work weekends to compensate for the holiday break, with some threatening consumer boycotts to protest labor conditions and the emphasis on intense competition and cost-cutting. ## Timeline ### 2026-09-29: Hong Kong expects 7.44 million travelers during National Day Golden Week Hong Kong expects 7.44 million travelers during the National Day Golden Week, with authorities increasing border staff and preparing the new Huanggang Port to manage heavy cross-border traffic. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/hong-kong-expects-744-million-travelers-during-national-day-golden-week ### 2026-09-29: China faces cautious spending and labor unrest ahead of Golden Week China faces a complex Golden Week as high travel volumes are met with cautious consumer spending and growing worker protests against grueling schedules and unpaid holiday compensation. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-faces-cautious-spending-and-labor-unrest-ahead-of-golden-week ### 2026-09-27: East Asian travel demand surges during Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays The Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays have driven massive travel surges in China, Macau, and Hong Kong, while record passenger volumes caused significant transport congestion in Taiwan. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-and-macao-see-surge-in-travel-demand-during-holiday-season ### 2026-09-25: China travel demand surges ahead of Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays China sees rising demand for long-distance travel and service consumption ahead of major holidays, driving growth in multi-day trips and shifting economic patterns toward experiential spending. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-travel-demand-surges-ahead-of-mid-autumn-and-national-day-holidays ### 2026-09-23: China launches campaign to boost tourism spending during holidays China is launching a national campaign to stimulate tourism and cultural spending through October, offering over 310 million yuan in subsidies and planning 20,000 events for upcoming national holidays. 8 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-launches-campaign-to-boost-tourism-spending-during-holidays ### 2026-09-22: China travel and retail sectors prepare for Golden Week holidays Hospitality and retail sectors in China are launching major campaigns and early booking offers ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays to capture rising domestic travel demand. 4 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/china-travel-and-retail-sectors-prepare-for-golden-week-holidays --- Cite as: East Asian travel demand surges amid economic and labor jitf. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/china-holiday-tourism-and-retail-preparations