Chongqing - More than two billion passenger trips were made across China during the National Day holiday, according to the Ministry of Transport. But amid the travel rush, some travellers were packing lighter than usual, with fewer suitcases in hand.
People enjoy their leisure time at a shopping plaza in Kunming, Yunnan Province, southwest China, Oct. 5, 2026, during the National Day holiday. (Photo/Xinhua)
In the past, tourists would cram suitcases with sunscreen, spare clothes, power banks, and other items, especially families with children. This National Day, however, travel patterns have shifted from heavy packing to travelling light and buying on demand.
Travellers can order clothes locally if needed, have sunscreen delivered to hotels, and even skip carrying luggage. Some simply set hotels as delivery addresses for parcels and food orders before trips.
Behind this trend is instant retail’s deep integration into travel consumption scenarios. Figures from an on-demand delivery platform reveal robust demand over the holiday. Daily orders from key merchants rose 50% year-on-year, while daily individual user orders climbed 30%. Exclusive one-on-one premium delivery services, noted for fast fulfilment, saw daily orders jump more than 150%.
What are travellers buying? Daily orders for beauty, apparel and digital products all posted double-digit year-on-year growth. Long journeys and volatile weather drove cold-chain medicine orders up nearly threefold year-on-year. Daily outdoor gear orders surged over seven times year-on-year.
For instance, travellers who forget sunscreen can place an order and receive it at their hotel within half an hour. If temperatures drop unexpectedly and one lacks a jacket, delivery can arrive within an hour. Those short on time to buy local specialties for family before departure may order online for delivery directly to the station.
Beyond product delivery, instant services now handle errands. Many non-standard pick-up, delivery and proxy-shopping requests emerged this holiday, including luggage collection, buying local specialties and queuing at scenic restaurants on users’ behalf. For example, retrieving luggage from a scenic spot and travelling to the station could cost dozens or over 100 yuan in taxi fares, whereas luggage delivery to the station may only cost around a dozen yuan per piece.
Evolving from goods delivery to errand assistance, instant services turn trivial, temporary and uncertain travel needs into bookable, reliable on-demand services.
Economically, this marks an upgrade to consumption infrastructure. Previously, travellers had to anticipate every item they might need; miscalculations often meant compromises. Today, on-demand delivery greatly cuts travel decision-making costs.
At a deeper level, the instant-gratification consumption habit has extended from daily life to travel. Once entrenched, this habit reshapes the travel consumption chain. Instead of packing extensively in advance, travellers pay for what they need on the spot at destinations.
For merchants, this expands their service radius. Vendors at tourist sites can deliver local specialties to hotels and railway stations. For platforms, the integration of cultural tourism and instant delivery stands out as a fast-growing niche segment.
A report by the Ministry of Commerce’s Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation projects China’s instant retail market will exceed 1 trillion yuan in 2026 and reach 2 trillion yuan by 2030, with an average annual growth rate of 12.6% during the 15th Five-Year Plan period.