Monday, October 7, 2024 Temples, mountains, and historical landmarks across China saw huge crowds and long wait times as millions traveled during the country’s seven-day “Golden Week” holiday, which concluded on Monday. Despite concerns over sluggish consumer confidence, slowing economic growth, and ongoing property and employment crises, there was hope that pre-holiday stimulus measures from Beijing would encourage tourists to spend more freely. Golden Week is traditionally one of the busiest travel periods in China, and while official spending data has yet to be released, travel numbers remained high.
China’s railway network anticipated completing 175 million passenger trips during the 10-day National Day holiday period from Sept. 29 to Oct. 8, with daily averages comparable to last year.
Analysts had predicted that while the number of trips would increase, overall spending would stay flat, as tourists capitalized on reduced prices for flights and hotels, opting for longer stays at higher-end accommodations. Although major cities like Beijing continued to attract visitors, smaller towns and natural scenic areas gained in popularity. For instance, the popular video game “Black Myth: Wukong,” based on a Chinese mythical figure, spurred travel to locations like Xi County in Shanxi Province.
In some mountain destinations, including Jiangxi’s Sanqing Mountain and Anhui’s Yellow Mountain, tourists experienced lengthy waits, with hours-long lines for cable cars and.
