World's 'most favorite destination' is Chinese tourists' top choice for long holiday

By Hoang Vu September 23, 2025 | 04:56 pm PT

People walk along Takeshita street at Harajuku shopping area in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 10, 2024. Photo by Reuters

Japan, voted "world's most favorite destination" last year by Condé Nast Traveler readers, was the most-booked outbound destination among Chinese travelers for the eight-day Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday starting Oct. 1, according to travel platforms.

Thousands of Chinese residents plan to travel abroad during the break, China Daily reported.

U.S.-based Airbnb said searches by Chinese users for overseas stays with check-in dates between Sept. 27 and Oct. 8 nearly doubled year-on-year.

Its most popular overseas destinations for the period are Japan, Italy, France, Spain, New Zealand, South Korea, Indonesia, Australia, the U.S., and the U.K., according to the service.

Chinese online travel agency Qunar listed the top 10 countries for Chinese tourists during the holiday as Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, Russia, Singapore, and Italy, according to Yicai Global news site.

Japan welcomed 3.4 million foreign visitors last month, up 16.9% year-on-year, driven by additional flights from across Asia.

China led with 1 million visitors, up 36.5%, followed by South Korea with 660,900, up 8%, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization.