Many young white-collar employees prefer to travel after the week-long holiday, taking advantage of cheaper prices and fewer crowds, today's Youth Post reported.

Overseas tours in late-October offer discounts of 10-15 percent compared to prices over the recent National Day holiday.

"Prices of overseas tours are currently at their lowest of the year, with a tour to Singapore and Indonesia's Bali Island priced at only 4,000-plus yuan (US$493), down 3,000 yuan since the holiday," said a spokesman for Shanghai China International Travel Service Co Ltd. Tours to Malaysia have also seen price cuts of around 1,000 yuan.

The cost of an eight-day tour to Australia fell from 15,000 yuan to 11,900 yuan, said Chen Suiqin from the outbound department of Shanghai China Travel International. "The peak for business travel will come next month, and most travelers these days are white-collar employees taking their annual leave," Chen explained.

Long-distance domestic tours are showing price falls of 10-15 percent. Six-day tours to Hainan with accommodation in three-star hotels are priced at between 850 yuan and 2,790 yuan, depending on location and service-level.

Hainan, Beijing, Kunming and Zhangjiajie are popular destinations since the holiday.

(Xinhua News Agency October 14, 2005)