As the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays approach, several travel platforms have recently released their holiday travel forecasts.

According to the 2026 Mid-Autumn and National Day Holiday Ride-Sharing Travel Forecast from DIDA INC (DIDA), driven by the "take 3 days off for 13 days" extended-leave effect, cross-city ride-sharing trips show clear characteristics of early departure and staggered travel, with users tending to place orders and depart on the day before the holiday, a notable "eve departure" pattern.

Data from platforms such as Didi and Hello also confirms this trend, with the proportion of cross-city travel and medium-to-long-distance orders rising significantly.

Cross-City "Eve Departures" as Return Peaks Shift to the Afternoon

Forecasts from DIDA INC (DIDA) show that this year's Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays will see two order-placement peaks, with the cross-city tourism order peak concentrated on the day before the holiday, namely September 24 and September 30.

In terms of departure trends, cross-city tourism departures are expected to remain at a high level starting from September 24 and continue through October 7, including the three working days from September 28 to 30.

The outbound peak is expected to occur from 17:00 to 20:00 on September 30, while the return peak day is expected to be October 7.

Notably, departures during the 8:00 to 15:00 window on the return peak day are expected to account for more than 53.5% of the total, significantly higher than the 37.7% in the same window on the outbound peak day, indicating that returning users prefer to depart earlier in the morning and afternoon to avoid the evening rush and reduce nighttime driving.

Hello ride-sharing forecast data also shows that during the double holidays, platform ride-sharing order demand is expected to reach 80 million orders, up about 30% year on year, with the first order-placement peak expected on September 30 and the return peak on October 7.

Among them, cross-city travel is expected to account for more than 44%, and orders over 200 kilometers are expected to account for 29% of medium-to-long-distance trips.

Jiangsu Highlights: Suzhou Enters Top 10 Popular Destinations, Nanjing Sees Surge in Out-of-Town Ride-Hailing Demand

Among the Top 30 popular ride-sharing tourism destination cities forecast by DIDA INC (DIDA), Jiangsu holds 4 spots, with Suzhou entering the top 10, ranking just after Hangzhou.

In terms of regional flows, surrounding tours in the Pearl River Delta city cluster continue to lead, while Jiangsu, as a core area of the Yangtze River Delta, serves as both an important source of departures and a popular destination.

Didi data shows that during the National Day period, demand for out-of-town ride-hailing in Nanjing is expected to more than triple compared with ordinary days, with autumn foliage trips becoming an important theme for holiday travel in Nanjing.

According to forecasts from the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Transportation, average daily expressway exit traffic during the Mid-Autumn holiday is expected to reach 2.63 million to 2.74 million vehicles, up 15% to 20% from the same period in 2024; during the National Day holiday, average daily exit traffic is expected to reach 4.68 million to 4.77 million vehicles, with single-day traffic on the first holiday day, October 1, expected to reach 5.11 million to 5.21 million vehicles.

In terms of public transport connections, key routes in Nanjing will add 20% more vehicles, scenic areas will be allocated 219 additional buses, and 10 G-prefixed tourism sightseeing routes will be restored; during the National Day period, Suzhou will operate 52 cultural tourism special lines, providing more convenience for residents and tourists during the holiday.

"Hidden Gem Small Cities" and Red Tourism Emerge as New Growth Drivers

Forecasts from DIDA INC (DIDA) show that the top 10 cities by growth in ride-sharing tourism orders are Wuwei, Chenzhou, Heyuan, Hainan Prefecture, Huizhou, Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, Fuzhou, Nanchang, Xiaogan and Jilin.

More and more tourists are actively avoiding traditional popular cities during holidays and turning to "hidden gem small cities" to explore differentiated experiences.

DIDA INC (DIDA) analysis suggests that the "door-to-door, one-stop direct" nature of ride-sharing matches the relatively scattered travel demand of small cities and non-traditional tourism destinations.

In terms of red tourism, DIDA INC (DIDA) forecasts that among the Top 30 red scenic spots for ride-sharing tourism, Nanjing's Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum makes the list, while Beijing, Shanghai, Zunyi and other places also have multiple scenic spots listed.

During the 2025 National Day holiday, ride-sharing order volume at scenic spots included in the "National Red Tourism Classic Scenic Area List" increased by nearly 80% compared with the period before National Day, as red tourism shifts from traditional group tours and bus tours to more flexible ride-sharing travel.

Personalized Demand Stands Out, Family Travel Characteristics Obvious

Forecasts from DIDA INC (DIDA) show that the top five note types for ride-sharing tourism orders during this year's National Day holiday are: cost-sharing method, luggage requiring trunk space, passengers with children/infants, catching flights or trains, and bringing pets, accounting for 87.5%, 6.8%, 3.3%, 1.0% and 0.7% of notes respectively.

In addition, notes such as calling in advance, elderly/pregnant passengers on board, needing to depart on time due to time constraints, requiring a smoke-free environment, and negotiable pickup and drop-off locations are also relatively common.

Hello ride-sharing data also confirms this trend, with demand for six-seat ride-sharing expected to rise 165% year on year during the double holidays, of which cross-city trips will account for 52%; demand for premium vehicles is expected to grow 200% year on year.

The proportion of family travel is high, with prominent demand for carrying children and luggage, while users also place higher requirements on time certainty, cost transparency and riding environment.