Although hotel costs have increased by 65 percent on average during the holiday compared with the summer vacation period in August, they're still 30 percent lower than during last year's National Day holiday, according to Fliggy.

High-speed train tickets to many destinations, such as Harbin in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province and Changsha in Central China's Hunan province, for the first day of the National Day holiday were quickly snapped up after sales resumed in early September, according to the country's railway ticket-booking website, 12306.cn.

More tourists are expected to choose small tours or drive themselves.

The pandemic has enhanced people's safety awareness, and private tours can better satisfy their needs by decreasing unnecessary contact and better ensuring hygiene, says Yu Dan, who runs private-tour operations at Trip.com.

Flexible arrangements and better on-tour services also enhance the popularity of small private tours, Yu says.

Travelers who drive themselves accounted for about 30 percent of tourists during last year's National Day holiday. The figure is expected to increase this year out of precaution, according to Trip.com.

Hainan, Yunnan, Sichuan and Shaanxi provinces are expected to be hot spots during the holiday, Peng says.

Hainan is likely to remain popular thanks to its island and leisure elements, and duty-free shopping, especially since the pandemic continues to stunt outbound travel, Peng says.

Hainan's Sanya tops the list of Trip.com's bookings.

The province's Haikou Meilan International Airport will add or resume more than 1,500 flights to meet the surge during the October holidays.