'Mini-breaks' poised to boost tourism

China's tourism market is poised for a new wave of growth as students at primary and junior high schools will start their autumn breaks this month. Experts said the "minibreak" will help balance the seasonal fluctuation of the tourism market and promote an optimized paid vacation system.

First implemented at certain provinces and cities in 2025, such as Sichuan and Zhejiang, more cities and regions have taken exploratory steps to develop their own autumn breaks for students this year.

While the time for the autumn break varies from area to area, it mostly falls between late October and late November. For example, cities like Shenyang and Dandong in the northeastern province of Liaoning set the autumn break from Oct 29 to Nov 2, Taiyuan in Shanxi province from Nov 11 to Nov 13 and Xiamen in Fujian province from Nov 25 to Nov 27.

Most of the autumn breaks last around three days, while some parents choose to extend it to a five-day holiday by connecting the break with the weekend. Tourism insiders believe that the mini-break will be a "shot in the arm" for the market, which is usually in low season after the weeklong National Day holiday which occurred in early October.

Figures from Qunar, a travel portal, show that searches for products on "autumn break", "family trips" and "autumn viewing places" have risen by 220 percent at its platform so far compared with September and hotel bookings for trips in November registered a year-on-year rise of 50 percent.

"There will be a month-long peak season for family trips till the end of December. Each weekend of November will see a travel peak and the market will see a boom around mid-November till the end of that month," Qunar said.

The online travel agency Tuniu also gave encouraging reports, pointing out that family trips and educational tours to destinations with rich cultural or historical vibes have seen remarkable increases at its platform so far for the autumn breaks.

It added that Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu in Sichuan province and Sanya in Hainan province are gaining increasing popularity among autumn break goers.

Wang Zhixiong, a manager from Tuniu who is in charge of the business in Chancheng district of Foshan, in Guangdong province, in the south, said that tours to Beijing for autumn scenery and historic scenic spots are the top choices for their customers.

Trips to places with milder climates like Yunnan in Southwest China and Fujian in the nation's eastern part are also popular, where the travelers can enjoy mountainous views by hiking or experience cultural immersion by visiting handcraft workshops, he said.

Wang Yiqi, a 40-year-old resident of Huzhou in the eastern province of Zhejiang, is preparing a four-day family trip to Beijing with his 10-year-old son around mid-November using the autumn break.

"The break this year is from Nov 12 to Nov 16, connecting the weekend. It's a good season to visit Beijing, which is famous for its autumn views and historic spots. The break gives all of us — my son, my wife and me — a period to get away from academic burden or stressful work and go for an off-season trip," he said, adding that he will take his annual leave, as will his wife, to accompany their son to Beijing.

He Jianhua, a researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, told the China Business Journal that unlike public holidays, which have fixed dates, autumn breaks vary in timing from one area to another. This flexibility allows the minibreaks to help balance seasonal fluctuations in the tourism market.

In March, the Government Work Report mentioned that local authorities are encouraged to decide and promote spring and autumn breaks and implement a paid vacation system so workers can travel off-peak.