Chinese Golden Week: A Moment Best Prepared Well Before October 1st
On Thursday, October 1st, Chinese Golden Week begins. It is one of the most anticipated moments in the Chinese calendar, and one that Western brands have every reason to anticipate.
What Is Chinese Golden Week?
Golden Week (黄金周) refers to the holiday week following China’s National Day on October 1st, which commemorates the founding of the People’s Republic in 1949. It should not be confused with Japan’s Golden Week, which takes place in spring.
For seven days, the entire country is on vacation at the same time. Hundreds of millions of people travel, both within China and abroad. As a result, Chinese Golden Week is one of the largest travel and consumption peaks in the world.
Chinese Travelers Are Heading Abroad Again
After a sharp slowdown in outbound travel in the years following Covid, Chinese travelers are once again heading overseas. With them, department stores, boutiques, outlets and iconic tourist destinations are regaining one of their most strategic audiences.
However, this audience has changed. Better informed and more selective, Chinese travelers no longer travel the way they did before the pandemic. Above all, they no longer shop the same way.
A Shopping Journey That Begins on Social Media
Chinese travelers no longer discover a store on-site. Instead, they build their shopping journey weeks in advance, from their smartphones.
On Xiaohongshu, Douyin or WeChat, they identify must-visit addresses, compare prices, save offers, check accepted payment methods and plan their shopping itinerary. By the time they arrive in Paris, they already know which department stores to visit, which brands to buy and which offers to use.
For travel retail, this changes everything. The decision is no longer made in-store, but long before, on Chinese platforms.
What the Most Forward-Thinking Players Are Doing
A quick look at Xiaohongshu these days makes it clear: luxury hotels around the world, such as JW Marriott Maldives, are already ramping up content to win over Golden Week travelers. They are not waiting for the holiday; they are preparing for it.
Leading Parisian retail players have also understood this. During Golden Week 2025, Galeries Lafayette and La Vallée Village began communicating on Xiaohongshu as early as late September.
They offered dedicated deals, payment benefits, collaborations with Chinese creators and giveaways. Paris Aéroport, for its part, relied on videos of Chinese travelers sharing their first impressions upon arriving in Paris, reassuring future visitors before they even left home.
Their common thread: being present when travelers are planning their trip, not only when they walk through the store’s doors.
Three Keys to Prepare for Chinese Golden Week
1. Anticipate Rather Than React
A campaign launched on October 1st is already too late. Content needs to be live while travelers are planning their trips and purchases.
2. Think Local
A Western campaign simply translated into Chinese is not enough. Messages, visuals and offers must be designed for Chinese consumers, on their platforms and with their codes.
3. Deliver on the Promise In-Store
Online visibility only pays off if the on-site experience follows: clear offers, informed staff, and adapted payment options.
Prepare Golden Week Like a Product Launch
Chinese Golden Week is not simply a date in a promotional calendar. It is a strategic moment that should be prepared like a product launch.
In this market, visibility is no longer won at the moment of purchase, but at the moment desire takes shape. The question is therefore not how to exist during Golden Week, but how to be present when travelers are building their journey.
