At 11:09 on 29 September, the 'Great Expedition' themed train marking the 90th anniversary of the Long March victory launched on Beijing Metro Line 19. Its eight carriages feature eight chapters, and Caogiao, Ping'anli and Mudanyuan stations host 'Passing the Torch' themed exhibitions. The train runs daily during the National Day holiday and four days a week afterwards, planned through the end of December.
China Railway Hohhot Group reported 551,300 passenger trips during the September 25-27 Mid-Autumn holiday, averaging 183,800 daily and setting a historical record, with the peak day on September 25 at 229,200 trips. To handle combined family-visit and tourism flows, the bureau added three pairs of nighttime high-speed trains from Hohhot and Baotou to Beijing, doubled some short-distance EMU trains within the region, and added five pairs of temporary passenger trains including Baotou to Xi'an.
China State Railway Group announced that four high-speed rail segments will open on September 28: the Xiongan-Shangqiu section of the Beijing-Hong Kong HSR, the Xi'an-Ankang section of the Xi'an-Chongqing HSR, the Yichang-Xingshan HSR, and the Harbin-Yichun HSR. Travel times after opening: Xiongan-Shangqiu 2h27m, Xi'an East-Ankang West 45m, Yichang North-Xingshan 30m, Harbin-Yichun 1h46m.
Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said at Skift Global Forum that Uber is in active discussions with basically every agentic company, but on the right terms, using its 10.5 million drivers and couriers across more than 70 countries as leverage. He said no agentic company is going to replicate that content. Khosrowshahi also said 80% of Uber's hotel bookings come from UberOne members, reducing dependence on discovery channels like Google. He noted that Uber's early approach of making AI follow human-agent scripts was limiting, and giving AI a goal and a budget produced better outcomes at lower cost.
On September 20, Jiujiang Changyun and Didi held a launch ceremony at Lushan High-Speed Railway Station for the 'Xunmeng' tourism station bus and the Gongqing/Yongxiu intercity bus services, debuting 11 routes that link scenic spots and urban nodes including Lushan West Sea, Lushan cableway, Donglin Ancient Town and Wucheng migratory-bird town. The Lushan loop line is the flagship route, taking passengers from Lushan High-Speed Railway Station directly to the foot of Lushan; for the coming migratory-bird season the route extends to Wucheng in Yongxiu. Passengers can check routes and book tickets via the 'Station Bus' entry in the Didi app or mini-program. Didi station buses now cover nine J…
The Guangzhou Municipal Transport Bureau estimated on 21 September that about 17.56 million passenger trips will leave or arrive in Guangzhou during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and about 41.92 million during the National Day holiday. The Guangzhou People's Government Information Office held a 2026 Mid-Autumn and National Day press conference the same day. Deputy Director Zhang Zi said holiday passenger flows will feature a long holiday span, concentrated pre-holiday departures and converging return flows, and the city is deploying rail, civil aviation, road and waterway capacity. Railway hubs such as Guangzhou South and Baiyun stations will schedule more than 620 originating trains per…
As of September 18, Xinjiang Railway had run 80 tourist trains this year, including five cross-province services, carrying more than 24,500 domestic and international tourists. The New Oriental Express is planned for 35 trips this year, with 17 already operated. The Y933 train departing September 18 carried 91 tourists from multiple Chinese provinces, Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as Malaysia, the United States and Australia, on a 12-day loop through northern and southern Xinjiang.
On September 21, the launch event of the Yellow River Origin "Dahe No.1" self-drive themed route experience season was held at the Yellow River Estuary Ecological Tourism Area in Dongying, Shandong. Nine Yellow River provinces (regions) jointly initiated the Yellow River origin journey, running from the "Yellow River Estuary" to the "Sanjiangyuan" over 16 days with relay participation by the nine provinces (regions), turning a one-off event into a regularly experienceable premium route. Shandong is implementing the "Transport-Tourism No.1 Project" and has created integrated transport-tourism brands such as "Qilu No.1," "Peninsula No.1," and "Dahe No.1," with plans to develop "Canal No.1" wa…
On 16 September, 'Let's Go! Shenzhou Mountains and Seas', described as China's first self-drive culture exploration programme and produced by CAR Inc. with CCTV Video, premiered. CAR Inc. systematically proposed the concept of 'Chinese self-drive culture' at industry level for the first time. The programme features six representative self-drive routes: the northwest gobi, northeast forests, Lingnan life, western Yunnan plateau, Hainan island and Jiangnan water towns. CAR Inc. says it has 19 years of industry experience, a service network covering more than 360 cities with 6,500 directly operated outlets, a fleet of over 220,000 vehicles and 210 million users. Data shows self-drive travel ac…
On September 17, the G331 'Most Beautiful Border Highway' Jilin-Xinjiang two-way self-drive event launched simultaneously in both regions for seven days. The Xinjiang convoy of 24 vehicles departed Altay for Yiwu County in Hami, while the Jilin convoy of 30 vehicles departed Ji'an for Fangchuan Village in Hunchun. The G331 national highway runs about 9,333 kilometers through six provincial-level regions—Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu and Xinjiang—linking scenic areas including Changbai Mountain, the Altai Mountains, Ejina Poplar Forest and Kanas.
According to China State Railway Group, from January to August this year China Railway carried 3.32 billion passengers, up 3.9% year-on-year and a record high for the period; it operated 2,501 tourist trains, including 1,387 tourist special trains and 1,114 tourist line trains. It also ran 812 themed trains, with multi-ride and period tickets covering 78 lines and tourist multi-ride tickets covering 27 lines. In cross-border services, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail carried 23.408 million cross-border passengers, and the China-Laos railway carried 245,000.
China Railway data show 3.32 billion passenger trips in the first eight months, up 3.9% year on year and a record for the period. An average of 11,508 passenger trains ran daily, up 5.0%. On cross-border services, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed rail carried 23.408 million cross-border passengers, up 10.7%, while the China-Laos railway carried 245,000, up 39.1%. The network handled 16.683 million foreign-national passenger trips, up 33.3%. A total of 2,501 tourist trains ran in the period, including 1,387 dedicated tourist trains and 1,114 tourist route trains.
A passenger with a level-2 physical disability reported buying a dedicated accessible rail seat only once or twice in about ten trips a year, describing the experience as opening a blind box. Reporters found this is not an isolated case; when accessible seats are unavailable, passengers resort to paying extra, negotiating seat swaps on board or sitting in the aisle. 12306 customer service said each train reserves a few accessible seats, sold preferentially to level-1 and level-2 disabled passengers with linked disability certificates, from presale until 24 hours before departure, with unsold seats released to the public pool within the day before departure. Industry insiders suggest stronge…
On September 17, 2026, the "Riding Ten Thousand Miles of National Highway, Journeying Together Across Mountains and Rivers" G331 "Most Beautiful Border Highway" Jilin-Xinjiang two-way self-drive event launched simultaneously from Ji'an in Jilin and Altay in Xinjiang. Co-hosted by the Publicity Department of the Jilin Provincial Party Committee, the Jilin Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Department of Culture and Tourism, the event aims to raise awareness of the "Changbai Secret Realm · Jilin Route 331" cultural tourism brand and deepen cross-regional coordination between the two provinces. The Jilin section of G331 runs 1,314 km, passing…
Data from the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail shows that from January to August this year more than 105,000 Malaysian travellers rode the line, about 40% of foreign passengers in the period. Since operations began through August 2026, Malaysian passengers made 403,626 cumulative trips, the most among foreign nationalities and 42.8% of the 944,087 total foreign passenger trips. Eva Chairunisa, corporate secretary general manager of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China, said the line lets visitors link Jakarta, Bandung and West Java destinations, and Indonesian and Malaysian travel agencies are launching 'rail + attractions + accommodation' packages. The line opened on October 17, 2023, spans 142.…
On September 15, the 'Travel Hunan by High-Speed Rail' 2026 Hunan Autumn Cultural Tourism Promotion, hosted by the Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism and China Railway Guangzhou Group, launched at Changsha South Station. The event released 2026 Hunan autumn premium tourism routes covering five high-speed rail lines—Beijing-Guangzhou, Shanghai-Kunming, Zhangjiajie-Jishou-Huaihua, Hengyang-Liuzhou, and Chongqing-Changsha-Xiamen—linking 14 cities and prefectures' popular autumn destinations such as Yanling Wucai Valley in Zhuzhou, Ziquejie Terraces in Loudi, Jinbian Stream in Zhangjiajie, Tongzi'ao Ginkgo in Yongzhou, and Datong Lake in Yiyang. Changsha South Station introduced…
China Tourism News reports that the Pinglu Canal, described as a century-scale project, will be completed and opened to navigation on Sept 16, with four passenger routes planned for the opening day: Xinfu water service area to Pingtang river mouth loop, Xinfu water service area to Madao hub loop, Qinzhou water service area to Qingnian hub loop, and Qinzhou water service area to Longmen Bridge loop. Operating companies and vessels have obtained domestic waterway transport business licenses and vessel operating certificates. The two Nanning-section routes will be planned and operated by Nanning Communications Investment Group, which plans a passenger vessel incorporating Guangxi cultural elem…
China Railway released the train ticket sales calendar for the 2026 Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays. Under the rule that tickets go on sale 15 days in advance, tickets for 25 September (Mid-Autumn Festival) can be purchased on 11 September, and tickets for 1 October (National Day) can be purchased on 17 September.
On September 7, Cao Cao Mobility announced a share buyback of 170,000 shares for HK$2.3119 million, at prices between HK$13.49 and HK$13.73 per share. The repurchased shares will be held as treasury stock. Cumulative buybacks reach 4.8609 million shares, representing 0.83% of issued shares as of the authorization date.
Gansu and Shandong provinces jointly held the launch ceremony of the 'Shandong-Gansu Cooperation' named train and the 'Ten Million Shandong People Tour Gansu' initiative. The train, themed 'Symphonic Silk Road · Auspicious Gansu,' features five cultural tourism carriages showcasing Gansu's Silk Road culture and Yellow River scenery. Concurrently, the Shandong-Gansu cultural tourism resource matchmaking event started, with a delegation visiting Linxia, Dingxi, and Longnan, holding three promotion conferences to facilitate tourist exchange.
China State Railway Group announced holiday transport from September 23 to October 8, lasting 16 days, with October 1 as the peak day. The national railway will operate a peak schedule with about 13,000 passenger trains daily, including special tourist trains and fan trains. The railway authority reminds that popular trains may sell out quickly and advises passengers to book early.
On September 5, a Chongqing-Hami cultural tourism promotion conference was held, and the 'Hami' themed train debuted on Metro Line 2. Chongqing promoted nine boutique tourism routes of the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor, while Hami promoted the 'Silk Road Quest: Mountains and Seas United' study tour route. The train showcases landscapes like the Great Sea Road Yardang and Yiwu Poplar Forest.
About 80 European drivers traveled from France in 33 vintage cars along the Silk Road, driving about 5,700 km in China and finally arriving in Beijing. The event promoted cultural tourism exchange and showcased China's self-drive tourism potential.
On September 6, a direct high-speed rail service between Ruijin and Yan'an was launched, covering 1,857 km in 11 hours and 32 minutes. The route connects the old revolutionary base areas in southern Jiangxi and northern Shaanxi, forming a red tourism corridor. Ruijin and Yudu introduced ticket-based benefits such as free admission to scenic spots and hotel discounts to boost red tourism.
On September 2, the cruise ship 'Dream One' was named in Hong Kong. Designed by Wuhan Changjiang Ship Design Institute and built by China Merchants Shipbuilding Industry Group, both under China Merchants Group, it has a gross tonnage of about 18,580 tons, a total length of 109 meters, and features an international conference hall for 990 people, a banquet hall for 800, and a 360-degree panoramic sightseeing platform. It is positioned as a flagship for near-sea cultural tourism in Victoria Harbour.
From September 1 to 2, Guangxi Tourism Development Group visited the Fuchuan Xiushui rural revitalization demonstration project in Hezhou to supervise preparations for core observation points for the 2026 Guangxi Cultural Tourism Development Conference. The next day, they held talks with Hezhou City, reaching consensus on Xiushui project operation, Ziyun scenic area improvement, and expanding Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao visitor sources.
On September 5, a cultural tourism promotion conference between Chongqing and Hami was held in Chongqing, where both sides promoted quality tourism routes. Chongqing introduced nine routes of the Bashu Cultural Tourism Corridor, while Hami promoted a Silk Road study tour. The 'Hami' themed train also made its maiden voyage, marking substantive cooperation.
Virgin secured pre-approval from UK regulator ORR for Channel Tunnel track access, planning 20 daily services to Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam from 2030, breaking Eurostar's monopoly since 1994. This could lower fares and promote air-to-rail shift, but analysts note ~36% of traffic is connecting passengers who must still fly. Virgin's edge includes its Virgin Red loyalty ecosystem and secured access to Temple Mills depot.
On August 31, Huairou District announced plans to build a 65.4-km east-west Great Wall cultural tourism belt during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, with 9 key cultural tourism projects, integrating Great Wall culture, ecological landscapes, rural resources, and technological innovation to create a new pattern of district-wide cultural tourism upgrading.
The Beijing-Kowloon Railway celebrates 30 years of operation, having carried 1.77 billion passengers. The 2,397-km line connects Beijing West to Shenzhen, opening in 1996. Through five speed-ups, maximum speed rose from 60 to 160 km/h, cutting Beijing-Shenzhen travel from 49 to under 22 hours. In 2025, annual passenger volume reached 95.1 million, over four times the initial figure.
Hungry Howie's Pizza is in the midst of a phased rollout of Cartwheel's Hybrid Delivery technology across its nearly 500 locations, with all stores targeted to be live by Q2 2027. The technology provides a unified view of in-house and third-party delivery, powered by DoorDash Drive, and uses AI-powered auto-dispatch to cut routing decisions from up to 10 minutes to less than a second.
UK high-speed rail operator Avanti West Coast offers private carriage hire for meetings, team-building, and events, with bespoke packages for larger gatherings. Rail travel offers a sustainable alternative, and group bookings can be made up to a year in advance.
Wuhan's green train loop has become a phenomenal cultural tourism hit, connecting city landmarks with a fastest full loop of 1 hour 45 minutes and ticket prices from 6 to 12.5 yuan. The article summarizes its highlights: affordable pricing, nostalgic slow travel, and a new perspective on city roaming; practical experiences include revitalizing existing assets, deep transport-tourism integration, and regional synergy; and proposes insights such as valuing transport resources for tourism, tapping nostalgia economy, and cross-department collaboration.
WiT's latest report shows that in 2025, 72% of rail bookings in APAC are made online, with state-owned operators retaining most traffic through their own apps. Car rental online penetration is only 47%, but expected to surpass offline by 2027. OTAs like Trip.com and Klook are integrating direct rail APIs and expanding bundling. AI is increasingly used in booking, such as Booking.com's ChatGPT-based car rental helper.
The Yuyi Mugu scenic area in Yiyang, Hunan, has a total investment of over 6 billion yuan and receives 700,000-800,000 visitors annually. Phase one covers 286 mu with a main hall of 42,000 sqm, housing over 10,000 large root carvings, including 11 national treasure-level works. It was rated 4A scenic area and a study tourism base in 2022.
Sabre has appointed Derek Sharp as Senior Vice President of Lodging, Ground and Media, effective September 8. He will focus on deepening supplier relationships, enhancing customer engagement, and expanding content quality and choice. Sabre's hotel-related revenue grew 11% year-over-year in Q2, reflecting progress in lodging content and adoption. The company is investing in its marketplace to offer broader travel options and better connectivity for agencies and suppliers.
On August 14, Three Gorges Tourism disclosed that its wholly-owned subsidiary publicly tendered for themed cruise and micro-vacation cruise construction projects, both won by related party Yichang Xinhui Shipbuilding, totaling approximately 112 million yuan, constituting a related-party transaction.
The U.S. Department of State rates Paraguay as Level 1 'Exercise Normal Precautions' due to crime. Paraguay is generally a safe destination for travelers, but some areas have increased crime risk. U.S. government employees working in Paraguay need special authorization to travel to some areas and are prohibited from using municipal buses because of the risk of robbery and assault. Increased caution is advised in the departments of Alto Paraná, Amambay, Canindeyú, Concepción, and San Pedro due to crime.
Uber is partnering with drone delivery company Zipline to offer drone delivery across the US, starting in markets where Zipline already operates like Dallas and Houston. The partnership combines Uber's on-demand delivery platform with Zipline's drone technology, aiming for one million deliveries per day. Uber is also making a strategic investment in Zipline. Zipline operates the world's largest drone delivery network, having delivered over 20 million items and flown over 135 million autonomous miles.
Wonder partnered with Serve Robotics to bring autonomous rover delivery to the Grubhub marketplace across Chicago, Los Angeles, and Alexandria, Virginia. Wonder's Potomac Yard location in Alexandria will integrate Serve's autonomous network to deliver orders from over 25 restaurant concepts. Additionally, Grubhub and Serve introduced 'Chomp,' a custom robot for branding.