China has seen a boom in cross-border tourism during the week-long National Day holiday, and in particular the number of people entering and exiting the country at airports and seaports in east China's Shandong Province increased significantly.
Since a few days before the National Day, the number of inbound and outbound passengers at Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport has continued to rise. In the first five days of the National Day holiday, the number of inbound and outbound travelers exceeded 30,000, an increase of 21 percent over the same period last year. Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia are among the more popular destinations, with family travel and sightseeing vacations becoming the main driver of inbound and outbound tourism.
"This year's National Day holiday has seen a surge in cross-border tourism, with many travelers opting for international trips during this period. Our company operates flights from Qingdao to Nha Trang, Vietnam, and Kathmandu, Nepal, with an occupancy rate exceeding 85 percent," said Liu Dong, general manager of Qingdao Jiahang Aviation Services Co., Ltd.
The rich route network fully meets the travel demands of passengers, and various visa-free policies and convenient customs clearance allow more people to take a cross-border trip whenever they want.
During the National Day holiday, the number of inbound tourists also increased significantly compared with previous years.
"Very quick, very easy, straight forward. I don't need a visa because I'm 15 days or less staying here," said Michael, a tourist from Ireland, commenting on inbound clearance in to China.
From Oct 1 to 5, the number of passengers entering China through the airport increased by nearly 30 percent compared with the same period last year, among which the number of foreign passengers increased by 82.8 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, many people choose to take a ship rather than plane for a slow-paced tour.
"More and more tourists are taking the China-Korea ro-ro passenger ship, with nearly 800 passengers traveling abroad daily. Compared to other means of transportation, traveling by ship is more relaxing and more cost-effective. Our China-Korea ro-ro passenger ship, which departs in the evening and arrives in the morning, provides such an option for passengers," said Xu Xiaojie, deputy general manager of Yantai Port, a part of Shandong Port Group.
China sees boom in cross-border travel during National Day holiday
