This year's National Day Golden Week, which starts on Saturday, will set off the enthusiasm of domestic travelers as usual.

The China Tourism Academy says an estimated 700 million people - nearly half of China’s population - have plans to travel during the coming seven-day vacation.

Tourist sites are expected to receive nearly 590 million visits, an increase of 12 percent compared to last year. Meanwhile, tourism revenue will reach around 480 billion yuan, a growth of over 13 percent. The average amount spent by tourists is expected to exceed 800 yuan per capita.

Travel agency statistics show strong demand for both domestic and overseas destinations. Domestically, cities in the Yangtze River Delta area, such as Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou are favorites. Overseas, neighbouring countries including South Korea, Japan and Thailand remain popular.

The transportation peak will be between September 30th till October 3rd, with a notable rise in people traveling by railway and cars.