Autumn school break in China drives up airfares, some popular routes sell out

Starting on Wednesday, many primary and secondary schools in China's Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Sichuan provinces began their first-ever autumn breaks, which drove up airfares. 

Statistics that industry information provider Umetrip sent to the Global Times on Thursday showed that from November 12-23, the average price (excluding tax) for domestic round-trip tickets to Sichuan, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Hubei was approximately 700 yuan ($98.41), an increase of about 7 percent year-on-year. 

During the autumn break, routes such as Chengdu-Sanya, Chengdu-Haikou, and Hangzhou-Xiamen are popular, with some flights already sold out, the platform said. 

Data from Qunar on Thursday showed that ticket bookings for major theme parks across China showed a significant increase during the fall break from Wednesday to Sunday compared with the previous week. 

Visitors watch the Chinese New Year drum ceremony at Shanghai Disneyland on January 19, 2025. Photo: VCG

Hong Kong Disneyland saw a 150 percent rise in ticket reservations than previous week, Beijing Universal Resort increased by 78 percent, and Shanghai Disney Resort grew by 60 percent. 

Additionally, local attractions in Zhejiang and Sichuan experienced notable growth in ticket sales during the fall break. From November 13-16, all tickets for Jiuzhaigou Valley were sold out, Qunar said.

According to China National Radio, the period from Wednesday to Friday marks the first official autumn holiday for primary and secondary school students in Southwest China's Sichuan Province. When combined with the following weekend, it forms a five-day break. 

Many scenic areas in Sichuan have rolled out free admission or preferential policies to attract visitors. For instance, the Mount Qingcheng-Dujiangyan Scenic Area is offering free entry to primary and secondary school students from across the country from Wednesday to Sunday. 

Many regions in China are conducting trials of spring and autumn breaks for primary and secondary schools starting this fall. 

In August, Foshan in South China's Guangdong Province announced that during the 2025-26 school year, its compulsory education students will enjoy a three-day autumn holiday in November and a two-day spring break linked to the May Day holiday in 2026, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

In September, China proposed introducing spring and autumn breaks for primary and secondary schools, while shortening the duration of traditional summer and winter vacations, as part of a broader effort to stimulate services and consumption.

The plan, part of a package of measures to boost services consumption, said that local governments are encouraged to adjust the academic calendar based on factors such as climate conditions with the precondition that the total number of vacation days and teaching hours will remain unchanged, according to the official website of the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM).

A key proposal involves exploring the introduction of spring and autumn breaks for primary and secondary schools, which would be offset by shortening the summer and winter vacations, the MOFCOM said.

This restructuring aims to create more opportunities for services consumption, such as tourism and travel, the MOFCOM said.

(Global Times)