During the National Day holiday in 2026, the domestic consumer market is booming with both supply and demand and strong vitality. From the surging crowds in scenic spots to the steady flow of customers in business districts; from the passionate watching of top-level events to the immersive experience of new scenes in the first store, the heat of the holiday economy is rising simultaneously in multiple dimensions.
Value-added tax invoice data from the State Administration of Taxation shows that sales revenue from tourism and entertainment services during the National Day holiday increased by 23.6% year-on-year, sales revenue from catering services increased by 9% year-on-year, sales revenue from household appliances and audio-visual equipment increased by 40.1% year-on-year, and sales revenue from mobile phones and other communication equipment increased by 119.8% year-on-year. Service consumption and commodity consumption go hand in hand, forming powerful twin engines of the holiday market.
During this National Day holiday, the event economy has become a new engine for holiday consumption. A number of major international events have been launched intensively, and "traveling with the events" has changed from a trend to a reality. The 2026 China Tennis Open has extended its competition period to four weeks for the first time, spanning the two golden periods of Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day. The number of single-day admissions exceeded 35,000 for 5 consecutive days, and the total consumption of spectators exceeded 32 million yuan. The Beijing Yizhuang GT World Challenge attracted more than 26,000 spectators, driving a significant increase in surrounding catering, retail and accommodation consumption. The path for the transformation of event traffic into increased consumption has become increasingly clear. What deserves more attention is that the event economy is accelerating to sink into lower-tier cities and counties. The story of "one event sparks a fire in a city" continues to be played out in Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Guizhou and other places.
The first store economy and scene innovation have injected fresh vitality into holiday consumption. Commercial districts in various places have broken away from the traditional sales model and created differentiated consumption experiences with the launch economy and immersive scenes. Before the holidays in Beijing, it opened its first projects such as Songzhuang LONG Street and Beijing Poly Time Lane. The first store lineup covers diverse business formats such as catering, home decoration, and AI experience. The first store in the Shanghai business district was unveiled, with customer flow increasing by approximately 20% year-on-year. There are also many highlights in cultural consumption. The "Movie+" activity has transformed screen traffic into offline consumption increases. The National Day box office has exceeded 800 million yuan, and the output value of the entire film industry chain has exceeded 470 billion yuan.
The precise policies have provided solid support for holiday consumption. This year’s fourth batch of 62.5 billion yuan of ultra-long-term special government bonds to support the trade-in of consumer goods was launched before the National Day holiday. Relying on 100 billion yuan of special funds for fiscal and financial cooperation to promote domestic demand, the personal consumption loan interest discount policy was accelerated. Over 20,000 cultural and tourism activities were held in various places, and over 310 million yuan in consumer vouchers and other consumer subsidies were issued. Tianjin has issued more than 80 million yuan in consumer vouchers, including aging-friendly products in the scope of replacement subsidies; Liaoning has innovatively implemented the "dual voucher" ticket stub economic model, and people can apply for consumer vouchers at 25,000 merchants across the province with event and exhibition vouchers.
Through this National Day holiday, we can see the profound changes in China's consumer market: consumption scenarios are transforming from single shopping to complex experiences, and the boundaries between events, culture, technology and commerce continue to dissolve; policy tools are evolving from short-term stimulation to long-term mechanisms, and trade-in and consumption discounts are working together. The rising heat of the holiday economy is not only a direct reflection of residents' rising willingness to consume, but also a vivid footnote to the optimization of consumption structure and the release of domestic demand potential, injecting solid confidence in the continued recovery of the economy throughout the year.
