Skydiving, whale watching and a burst of bookings as holidays extend for millions in China

An alignment of Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays stretches time off for millions of Chinese, with breaks reaching up to 13 days

A three-day public holiday used to be a big deal in China. Then came “golden weeks”, which would sometimes stretch to nine days, sending millions of people in search of new sights across the country and further afield.

Now an alignment of the Mid-Autumn Festival and the National Day holiday will give many Chinese students and office workers up to a record 13-day break, potentially pushing tourist traffic to new heights.

“The more interesting change this year is not simply higher volume, but the potential for longer and more complex trips,” said Subramania Bhatt, CEO of the marketing and technology firm China Trading Desk.

The Mid-Autumn Festival break runs from September 25 to 27, followed by three working days before the National Day golden week from October 1.