Alibaba's travel arm Fliggy has posted its strongest Golden Week performance to date, with hotel bookings during China's 2026 Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday surpassing all previous records. The platform reported a near 70% year-on-year increase in average daily fulfilled room nights across the four-day peak period, with more than 100 cities seeing a doubling in hotel room nights.
88VIP members and luxury hotels lead the surge
Fliggy attributed much of the growth to the spending power of Alibaba's 88VIP loyalty members, whose average hotel spend per capita came in 34% above the platform average. High-end properties were the primary beneficiaries, with fulfilled room nights at luxury hotels climbing over 80% year-on-year. More than 70 hotel brand flagship stores on Fliggy doubled their room night bookings during the holiday window.
New hotel merchants that joined Fliggy in 2026 saw a 135% jump in average daily fulfilled room nights compared to the Labour Day holiday in May, underscoring the platform's expanding supply base and the appeal of its distribution channels for independent and emerging hotel brands.
Immersive travel experiences gain traction
The trend toward immersive travel continued to accelerate, with bookings for nature and village-related experiences rising more than 40% year-on-year. Historic village tours saw a 90% increase, while intangible cultural heritage workshops and cultural experiences more than doubled. Role-playing attractions and factory tours also gained popularity, pushing overall immersive experience bookings up 60%.
This shift aligns with broader patterns observed across China's outbound and domestic travel markets, as travellers increasingly prioritise deeper, more authentic engagements over traditional sightseeing. The growth in immersive offerings on Fliggy mirrors similar demand seen in other segments, such as polar expedition bookings, where travellers are also seeking expert-led, meaningful experiences.
AI travel assistant drives efficiency
Fliggy's AI travel assistant played a pivotal role in handling the surge in demand. Interactions with the assistant increased 158% during the holiday period, while AI-assisted hotel and flight bookings rose 110%. AI-powered service requests, including flight check-ins and booking modifications, grew nearly 100%, demonstrating the technology's capacity to streamline operations during peak travel windows.
The adoption of AI in travel distribution is not unique to Fliggy. Other players, such as Southwest Airlines' ChatGPT plugin, are also integrating AI into booking flows, signalling a broader industry shift toward conversational and automated travel planning.
Implications for travel professionals
For hoteliers and destination marketers, Fliggy's data underscores the importance of catering to high-spending loyalty segments and investing in immersive product offerings. The strong performance of luxury hotels and cultural experiences suggests that travellers are willing to pay a premium for distinctive, hands-on activities.
For travel technology vendors, the surge in AI-assisted bookings highlights the growing expectation for seamless, intelligent customer service. As AI becomes more embedded in the travel journey, platforms that can effectively deploy these tools will likely gain a competitive edge.
The record Golden Week also comes amid broader shifts in Chinese travel patterns, including longer trips and multi-destination itineraries that are reshaping outbound travel. Fliggy's domestic performance, however, shows that the home market remains a powerful engine for growth, particularly when supported by robust loyalty programmes and innovative technology.
As the travel industry continues to recover and evolve, Fliggy's results offer a clear signal: the intersection of premium loyalty, immersive experiences, and AI-driven convenience is where the next wave of growth will be found.
