China’s transport system had to cope with millions more travelers during the National Day “Golden Week” as the number of trips made over the break rose 11.9% to 705 million compared with the same holiday last year. Holiday makers spent CNY583.6 billion, or 13.9% more than last year. The ‘Golden Week’ holiday – starting on China’s National Day on October 1 – was extended by one more day to October 8 because the Mid-Autumn Festival fell within the week this year.

The number of outbound tourists was roughly the same as last year at about 6 million, but more travelers were opting to go travel by themselves rather than join a tour group. Since 2012, China has become the largest source of outgoing tourists, accounting for a large share of global tourism, Zhu Shanzhong, Executive Director of the World Tourism Organization said. 65 countries and regions are providing visa-free and visa-on-arrival access to Chinese citizens and, during this year’s National Day holiday, 88 countries and regions received Chinese visitors, up from 68 countries last year, CCTV reported. Russia was the most popular destination for Chinese tourists, followed by Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, while Moscow was the most popular city, followed by St. Petersburg, Bangkok, Pattaya, and Singapore, according to the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

Travelers made about 105 million train trips since the holiday rush started on September 28, the China Railway Corp (CRC) said. About 40% of the journeys were on high-speed lines. The number of travelers passing through Shanghai’s Hongqiao and Pudong airports between September 30 and October 7 jumped 6.6% to 874,000 from a year ago. Travel agencies in Shanghai organized trips for 104,000 outbound tourists, surging 62.4%.