Post by : Sameer Farouq

Travel Nightmare: Golden Week Chaos as Typhoon Matmo Strikes

Southern China’s highly anticipated Golden Week holiday—a time when an estimated 2.36 billion passenger trips are planned nationwide—has been thrown into severe disarray. Typhoon Matmo, which has been strengthening rapidly, is now bearing down on the tropical island province of Hainan, forcing authorities to issue maximum safety alerts and implement a near-total shutdown of transportation and public life.

The storm, the 21st named tropical cyclone of the season, threatens to derail vacation plans for hundreds of thousands of domestic tourists who flock to Hainan’s resorts like Haikou and Sanya during the eight-day National Day break.

Airports and Ports Grind to a Halt

In a massive blow to travel plans, all inbound and outbound flights at Haikou Meilan International Airport—Hainan’s provincial capital gateway—were scheduled to be cancelled starting 11 p.m. local time on Saturday, October 4th. Travelers have been warned that a gradual resumption of services is not expected until late Sunday evening, pending the typhoon’s path.

The disruption is not limited to air travel. Local maritime safety bureaus in the resort city of Sanya and across the island have prohibited all tourist ships and ferries, effectively cutting off sea access to the vacation hotspot. Furthermore, the mainland’s rail network connecting to Hainan has suspended all train services through the island for Sunday.

City Lockdowns and Highest Emergency Alerts

To ensure public safety, cities in the typhoon’s path have enacted stringent protective measures. The municipal governments of Haikou in Hainan and Zhanjiang in Guangdong province have taken the drastic step of halting all schools, work, and public transport from Saturday afternoon through Sunday.

The threat posed by Matmo has pushed authorities to raise alert levels significantly:

• Hainan Provincial Authorities have upgraded their typhoon emergency response to Level I, the highest possible alert, signaling an imminent and severe impact.

• China’s National Meteorological Center (NMC) has raised its typhoon warning to Red Alert in parts of the expected landfall zones.

The powerful storm is forecast to make landfall on Sunday, bringing sustained winds of up to 48 meters per second (over 170 km/h) and torrential rainfall, which could trigger dangerous flash floods and landslides in low-lying coastal areas.

A Serious Blow to Tourism

The impact of Matmo is acutely felt by Hainan's vibrant tourism sector. Officials noted that the island had planned over 300 cultural and sporting events across Haikou and Sanya to celebrate the Golden Week. With hundreds of thousands of people trapped or forced to evacuate, these events have been largely scrapped.

Matmo's approach follows a path of destruction elsewhere; the storm caused extensive flooding in the Philippines earlier this week, signaling the destructive power it is now bringing to China's southern coast, including Guangdong and Yunnan provinces. State media has strongly urged the public and all remaining travelers to exercise extreme vigilance as this remains a critical weather event.

Disclaimer

This article is a journalistic rewrite based on public reports and meteorological forecasts available as of the time of publication (October 4, 2025). The situation regarding Typhoon Matmo is dynamic and subject to change. Travelers and residents in affected areas must rely solely on official local government and meteorological updates for real-time safety instructions and travel information. We take no responsibility for travel delays or damages resulting from the storm.

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