Chinese border ports have seen surging numbers of inbound and outbound trips during the first five days of the week-long National Day holiday.
The holiday, starting on October 1 and known as "Golden Week," is one of China's largest annual public holidays.
In the first five days, ports in Beijing saw a total of 240,000 inbound and outbound trips, a year-on-year increase of 40.4 percent, according to data from the Beijing General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.
Among the port crossings, over 20,000 inbound trips were made by foreign nationals, marking a 61.2 percent increase from last year. Inbound trips by visitors from Russia, the United States, South Korea and Germany exceeded those from other countries.
As of 17:00 on Saturday, the fifth day of the holiday, Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in south China's Guangdong Province handled more than 680,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips on over 700 flights, up 57.8 percent and 51.6 percent, respectively, according to the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.
The airport has handled more than 4 million cross-border passenger trips so far this year, up 47.6 percent from the total of last year.
Hekou Port, located in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture of southwest China's border province of Yunnan, is the largest port in the Yunnan section of the China-Vietnam border. It has handled over 70,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips as of 17:00 on Saturday, an increase of 15.4 percent year on year.
According to data from the Shandong General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, ports in the eastern province have registered more than 74,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips during the first five days of the holiday, up 20 percent from the same period of last year, of which over 9,000 inbound trips were made by foreign nationals, a year-on-year increase of 19 percent.
Coastal cities, like Shandong's Qingdao and Yantai, have become popular destinations for domestic and foreign tourists.
Ports across China see surging cross-border passengers during National Day holiday
Ports across China see surging cross-border passengers during National Day holiday
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
