中文
By Imran Khalid
Airports in Beijing and Shanghai were overflowing on October 1 as China's National Day and Mid-Autumn holiday week began. Families tugged suitcases, young couples compared flight prices, and retirees clutched passports as they joined a human tide heading abroad.
The eight-day break – thanks to the overlap of the National Day holiday and the Mid-Autumn Festival – has produced one of the biggest travel waves China has ever seen. More than 23 million passenger trips were recorded on the first day alone, and forecasts suggest that outbound travel could exceed eight million, more than twice last year's figure.
Japan has become a top destination. Its early autumn colors, onsen baths, and Tokyo's bright streets have drawn millions of Chinese tourists. The frenzy feels both thrilling and wearying: a powerful display of middle-class confidence, but also a challenge for countries learning how to host this surge.
The statistics capture years of pent-up desire. International bookings from China have jumped 130 percent compared with 2024, boosted by visa-free entry to places like Thailand and Singapore and relaxed procedures for Japan. Airlines are selling seats faster than they did before the pandemic. For many Chinese travelers, these trips are not just holidays; they mark a return to a wider world after years of restrictions and uncertainty.
Behind this is the quiet determination of a middle class that now numbers more than 400 million. Even as the economy grows at a modest 5.3 percent, they are eager to spend on experiences that feel meaningful – cooking classes in Kyoto, mountain trails in Hokkaido, or street-food tours in Bangkok. Travel has become a form of self-expression and a small rebellion against economic fatigue at home.
The effects ripple across the region. In Southeast Asia, the pattern is helping local economies recover from the pandemic. Resorts in Bali, beach towns in Vietnam, and Singapore's retail districts all report fuller bookings and stronger revenues. These connections are more than commercial. They build familiarity and trust at a time when global supply chains and political ties often feel brittle. The rise of Chinese travelers – once dismissed as noisy day-trippers – now sustains airlines, lifts GDP figures, and deepens Asia's interdependence.
During the second quarter of 2025, visitor numbers to some Southeast Asian destinations dipped as tourists shifted to other neighboring countries. Domestic tourism within China also rebounded, with places like Zhangjiajie and Xiamen soaking up part of the crowd. The cycle of congestion simply moves from one spot to another.
Globally, the same story repeats: Bali's gridlocked roads mirror Santorini's overcrowded ports. The solution cannot be to wall off beauty behind entry fees or bans. What the region needs instead is coordination – a shared understanding that sustainable travel benefits everyone.
Asia could pioneer that shift. Governments might collaborate on "sustainable sojourn" frameworks: setting quotas for group tours at fragile heritage sites, encouraging off-peak travel through discounts, and co-funding infrastructure improvements. China, as a large source of tourists, is well placed to lead. It could channel part of its outbound tourism revenue into regional projects – such as eco-lodges in Borneo or digital platforms that direct visitors toward lesser-known trails in Japan's countryside. In return, host countries could offer more immersive exchanges: short courses in traditional crafts, language lessons, or volunteer programs that turn tourists into temporary community members rather than fleeting consumers.
Such measures would require patience and coordination, not grand summits. But they would signal a maturity in Asia's travel culture – a recognition that connection, not consumption, is the real purpose of these journeys. They would also help preserve what draws travelers in the first place: authenticity, hospitality, and shared respect.
As the holiday week winds down, flights will carry millions back to China, their luggage stuffed with souvenirs and memories. The airports will quieten down again. But the challenge remains: how to keep travel joyful without letting it overwhelm the very places that make it worthwhile.
The sight of packed terminals and crowded temples is, at heart, a story of aspiration. It shows how far Chinese households have come, and how deeply Asia's economies now depend on one another. The task ahead is to turn that motion into something lasting – to ensure that the bridges built by tourism stay standing long after the holiday rush fades.
Imran Khalid, a special commentator for CGTN, is a freelance columnist on international affairs.
