Golden Week travel plans for many include 'red tourism'

As this year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, "red tourism", a form of tourism focused on the Communist Party of China's revolutionary history, has become popular during the upcoming National Day holiday.

Recently, several travel service platforms released their reports about travel trends of the Golden Week holiday. Data showed attending National Day celebrations, and visiting revolutionary bases and museums, will become increasingly popular with tourists.

Beijing, Yan'an, Jinggangshan, Jiaxing, Shaoshan, Zunyi, Xuzhou, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Chongqing are the hottest destinations for Chinese travelers, according to data provided by online travel company Tongcheng Travel.

The Beiping-Tianjin Campaign Memorial Hall, 918 History Museum, the historic site of Pingxingguan Battle and the Dabieshan Mountain red tourism site will drive up tourism revenue in Tianjin, Shenyang, Datong, Jinan and Huanggang, according to home-sharing service provider Airbnb.

Meanwhile, travelers still have a strong willingness for outbound tourism, with Japan and Thailand becoming favorite overseas destinations for Chinese visitors.

Chinese travelers' enthusiasm for Japan continued to rise, Huang Qing, director of Ctrip Global Visa Service Center, told The Paper. The number of Japan visa application for the National Day holiday increased by 20 percent from last year, setting a new record.

Among the 84 nations that Ctrip has obtained qualification to deal with visas, Japan ranked first this year, and accounted for 25 percent of the total, which means one in four travelers who apply for a visa via Ctrip choose Japan.

Short-haul flight trips within four hours become increasingly popular with tourists. According to online travel agency Tongchen, Osaka, Bangkok and Vietnam's Nha Trang are the top three favorite places for the Golden Week holiday.