Hong Kong remains top 'golden week' destination as mainland Chinese are undeterred by China stock market turmoil
Holidaymakers still intent on having fun despite market, currency woes
Mainland Chinese outbound tourism remains robust despite the yuan depreciation and stock market turmoil - at least for this "golden week" holiday starting on Thursday - tourism operators say.
Leading online travel firm Ctrip said overseas bookings for the approaching holiday had been very strong, especially long-distance trips to Europe, Australia and the United States.
This year's week-long National Day break comes just days after the Mid-Autumn Festival on Sunday.
Mainlanders who can arrange three extra days off can take advantage of this year's timing to extend their holiday to 12 days.
More will have time to "go farther, or deeper, than simply traipsing around tourist sites", said Jiang Yiyi, director of the China Tourism Academy's overseas tourism department.
Ctrip expects its outbound tour bookings to double this holiday, while long-distance tours will be up by half.
Hong Kong, Tokyo and Bangkok remain the top three destinations for Chinese vacationers, but Rome, Washington, Paris, Sydney and New York are also popular. Bookings to London and Paris this year have tripled compared with last year.