Chinese travellers are booking longer and more distant trips for the 2026 National Day holiday, combining the seven-day Golden Week beginning October 1 with the Mid-Autumn Festival on September 25 to create a 13-day break. The period is a key gauge of household spending, but weak consumer demand, deflationary pressure and a prolonged property-market downturn are limiting confidence. Travel volumes rose during the 2025 Golden Week, while average spending per trip fell to a three-year low of 911.04 yuan (S$173.60), based on Reuters calculations using government data. Forthright Securities senior analyst Ailsa Liao described the pattern as K-shaped spending, with strong travel volumes but pressure on per-person expenditure. The government launched a month-long National Day Cultural and Tourism Consumption Month campaign on September 22 and expanded rail services during a 16-day peak transport period. Outbound demand has strengthened, with long-haul packages selling out early and travellers extending stays. Spring Tour reported strong bookings across Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, Australia and New Zealand, while Trip.com Group recorded a 123% increase in hotel stays of at least seven nights and an 84% rise in multi-destination itineraries. Analysts and travel companies said consumers remain focused on value, suggesting record travel numbers may not produce a comparable increase in profits. Liao said per-capita tourism spending fell during both the 2025 National Day holiday and 2026 Spring Festival.