China is facing its own problems -- trying to encourage people to spend more money. Its longest holiday has wrapped up, ending a travel frenzy that included more than 2 billion journeys countrywide.

Beijing

China's golden week holiday, which combines National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival, prompted millions to travel across the country, with over 2 billion trips recorded. Major tourist sites, such as Beijing's Forbidden City and Hong Kong, saw significant visitor numbers, reflecting a strong desire for mobility among the population.

However, despite the surge in travel, consumer spending did not rise as much as anticipated. Official data showed only a slight year-on-year increase in daily sales revenue for consumer goods, and spending remained lower than during the previous holiday period. Economic challenges such as youth unemployment, a struggling retail sector, and ongoing trade tensions continue to affect consumer confidence. Many travelers adopted a budget-conscious approach, focusing on sightseeing rather than shopping, a trend described as 'special forces travellers' by Chinese social media.

China's golden week holiday: Increased travel but not enough spending

Across China, the holiday spirit had millions on the move. This is the Forbidden City in Beijing, the most historically significant palace in China built early in the 15th century. And now a popular tourist destination. If there is a place that is free, like Tiananmen Square or outside the Forbidden City and the Great Wall, I will try to go to these places. The holiday for National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival is known as Golden Week. Provides an opportunity for people to travel, bolstering tourism and retailers as schools and businesses close for eight days. Data from the Transport Ministry shows more than 2 billion trips were made across China during the holiday. That's more than 3 million trips each day. Here in Hong Kong, there were more than 1.3 million visitors recorded. Against a backdrop of youth unemployment, a retail sector crisis and trade tensions with the US, the travel frenzy is good news for the economy. In August, China's senior leadership called for efforts to unleash the potential of domestic spending. In recent years, the government has introduced support measures to try to make household spending a driver of economic growth. Official figures showed a slight increase year-on-year in daily sales revenue for consumer goods, although still less than the holiday period earlier this year. A good employment environment, a strong stock market and then a strong property market are the three ingredients that will encourage spending. Personal consumption remains relatively low in China and as a result, deflation is a persistent concern. Recent trends indicate that people are willing to travel more, but are still not inclined to splash out. We probably won't be shopping. We're just here for fun. In the past year, a new term has emerged online to describe China's budget and time-conscious tourists, special forces travellers. It refers to people rushing from one destination to another, trying to cram in as many sites as possible, while spending as little as they can. Jessica Washington, Al Jazeera, Hong Kong.

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