Young big spenders

Li, the finance professional, plans to make a short trip to Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia, this month.

"I'll just take one day off — it's a three-day trip," he said. "You only have so many weekends in a year. Why not make the most of them?"

"Staying at home over the weekend, time flies by. But if I'm traveling abroad, even just for two days, they will then feel full and long — it stretches the weekend. That's why I love it," he added.

Places like Southeast Asia and East Asia are ideal — short flights, easy visas, and low costs. Some round-trip tickets cost him less than 2,000 yuan. "You can't beat that," he said.

Zhang Guangyu, associate professor at the School of Tourism, History, and Culture of Southwest Minzu University, considers the rise of such "commando-style cross-border travel" a new form of consumption and a mirror of societal transition.

The rapid expansion of international flight networks and streamlined border procedures have made high frequency travel possible, which is unlocking young consumers' spending potential, Zhang said.

Explaining the popularity of such high-intensity travel, he believes it is not just a way of exploring the world but a form of social currency. Whether strolling foreign streets or venturing into polar regions, these experiences are easily shared via short videos, reinforcing group identity and trend affiliation, Zhang said.

At the same time, under the pressure of fast-paced work and a culture of overachievement, young people can seize control of their limited free time through busy itineraries, treating travel as an emotional antidote and temporary escape from reality, he added.

With the arrival of the summer travel peak, many airline companies have increased or rolled out new outbound flights, in response to this shift in travel behavior.

Air China plans to optimize capacity and increase the frequency of direct flights on popular routes such as one connecting Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan province with Singapore.

The airline will also launch tailored promotions, including outbound travel voucher packages and special offers for Thailand's Songkran Festival, according to a representative from Air China.

Sichuan Airlines will offer additional promotional products for flights departing from Chengdu, such as flexible flight passes.

Weekend travelers can expect further incentives, including bonus mileage accumulation and flexible ticket changes and refund policies, aimed at making short-haul international travel more accessible and traveler-friendly, according to an official from Sichuan Airlines.