China’s immigration officials report that in the first quarter of this year, they processed a staggering 163 million passenger trips. This marks a 15.3% year-on-year increase according to a report from China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) released on April 15th.

This figure comprises 80.27 million trips taken by residents of mainland China, 65.72 million trips from residents of Hong Kong and Macao, as well as Taiwan, and 17.44 million trips by foreign nationals.

Increased Travel Activity

Notably, travel from Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan has surged by 11.2%, while visits from foreign visitors have jumped by 33.4%. Cross-border transport also saw a rise, with authorities inspecting 8.495 million vehicles across various transportation modes—up 15.5% year-on-year.

NIA spokesperson, Lin Yongsheng, announced that there are plans to broaden institutional openness in immigration management, alongside implementing more efficient entry and exit procedures and new policies to enhance border-crossing ease.

Insights on Foreign Travelers

Approximately 60% of foreign visitors to China are engaging in cross-regional travel, significantly stimulating the inbound tourism scene. The launch of a 240-hour visa-free transit policy has led to over 100,000 international passenger flights, a near 10% increase compared to the previous period. Popular tourist spots like Huangshan Mountain, Wuyi Mountain, and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park have experienced a 21.6% increase in foreign visitors year-on-year.

By the end of March, there were 9.215 million inbound trips recorded through ports across the nation, reflecting a 40.2% increase. Of these trips, 6.57 million occurred under visa-free policies, accounting for 71.3% of the total inbound traffic. This momentum is largely attributed to the new policies supporting a continuous growth in inbound tourism.