On August 31st, data from Qunar.com showed that during the summer of 2026, Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao, Guiyang, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shenzhen, and Chongqing ranked as the top 10 cities with the highest hotel occupancy rates. With the summer holidays ending, the average airfare in the first week of September has dropped by 35% compared to the peak season and is 50% cheaper than the first day of the National Day holiday. With pleasant weather in various regions, it's the peak season for bargain hunting. Currently, there are still many economy class tickets available at 10% off. For example, tickets from Beijing to Taiyuan, Shanxi on September 1st (including airport construction and fuel surcharges) have dropped to around 300 yuan.

"Cool" was the top keyword for the recent summer travel season, with a number of hidden gem towns in the "20-degree cool zone" emerging as dark horses. Data from Qunar.com shows that airfares to cities such as Lishui in Zhejiang, Bijie and Liupanshui in Guizhou, Delingha in Qinghai, and Datong in Shanxi all increased by more than 80% year-on-year. The number of passengers choosing third-tier or lower-tier cities as their "first airfare" destination increased by 26% year-on-year, outpacing the growth rate of first- and second-tier cities. Meanwhile, the popularity of "county-level tourism" continued to rise. Looking at hotel occupancy, Pingtan in Fujian, Yangshuo in Guangxi, Antu in Jilin, Xinyuan in Xinjiang, Jiuzhaigou in Sichuan, Libo and Leishan in Guizhou, Tekes in Xinjiang, Anji in Zhejiang, and Zhaosu in Xinjiang ranked among the top ten most popular county-level destinations this summer. (Source: Beijing Business Daily)