Searches for 'hidden gems' surge during holiday

Chinese travelers can combine the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday by taking three extra days of leave, unlocking a 13-day vacation. This holiday-stretching tactic creates ideal conditions for long-distance journeys and in-depth travel.

Chinese tourism platform Mafengwo recently unveiled a travel trend report about the two holidays, showing that the search popularity of outbound travel rose 128 percent, and that of in-depth travel rose 106 percent.

More and more tourists are unwilling to crowd into big cities during the long holiday. Searches on Mafengwo for hidden gem small cities, towns and niche destinations jumped 178 percent.

During the National Day holiday, the top five popular domestic city destinations for out-of-town tourists are Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu in Sichuan, Xi'an in Shaanxi, and Chongqing. Meanwhile, long-haul destinations in southwestern and northwestern regions have continued their summer popularity. The top five popular domestic provincial regional destinations are Guizhou, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Shanxi, and Sichuan.

Some travelers have kicked off their autumn-chasing journeys, heading to Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Jilin and Liaoning in search of the first forests to turn colors.

Unlike traditional autumn sightseeing, self-driving tours, hiking and mountain climbing have become more popular in recent years. This trend has helped some lesser-known destinations draw photography and outdoor lovers.

Road trips, immersive experiences and light outdoor activities are most popular among young travelers, with their search popularity continuing to rise.

At the Dian Opera Museum in Kunming, Yunnan, visitors can don opera costumes and stage makeup to play classic roles from the opera. Apart from photos captured during the experience, they can also learn arias and acting techniques from veteran performers, getting a taste of the local opera's distinctive charm.

At Hengdian World Studios in Dongyang, Zhejiang, tourists can put on full costume and makeup, and enjoy the thrill of starring in their own micro drama, especially in a historical setting.

For outbound travel, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand remain popular picks. A wedding boom coinciding with the two holidays has increased searches for the Maldives, a honeymoon resort. Long-haul destinations including the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Europe have also shown considerable growth in search popularity.