Major ports in China are witnessing a significant increase in international tourist arrivals as the May Day holiday approaches, with more travelers looking to set sail and take in some sightseeing during the five-day-long holiday which officially begins Wednesday.
This year, the resumption of international passenger services has contributed to a boom in China's domestic tourism market, bringing a welcome economic boost, with Chinese ports seeing large numbers of tourists arriving from Japan and South Korea.
On Sunday, Yantai Port in east China's Shandong Province welcomed a sizable tour group from South Korea, as over 400 passengers arrived eager to explore the country's attractions.
"There will be two to three more tourist groups of similar scale visiting our country for sightseeing and exchanges," said Huang Weining, a border inspection officer at the Yantai border inspection station.
Similar scenes can be seen at the Dalian Port in northeast China's Liaoning Province, where a vessel carrying over 100 passengers and around 240 tons of cargo from South Korea's Incheon Port docked on Friday morning, before later returning in the afternoon with more than 300 passengers and over 300 tons of cargo on board.
It was the first time in four years that the ship has carried passengers for both inbound and outbound travel, marking the official resumption of international passenger shipping services at the Dalian Port and the first resumed international maritime passenger route in the northeastern region of China.
The vessel, the "Biryong", is currently making three round-trips a week between Dalian and Incheon, facilitating the flow of personnel and goods between northeast China and South Korea.
Meanwhile, the number of individuals traveling to and from Russia through the Hunchun highway port in the northeastern Jilin Province has steadily increased since the beginning of this year, and has so far totalled 85,000 trips, a remarkable 375-percent year-on-year increase.
Now the port is gearing up for a surge in tourists during the upcoming May Day holiday, with the Hunchun border inspection station anticipating over 10,000 passengers to pass through during the five-day holiday period alone. In order to better accommodate the expected influx, all inspection lanes have been opened, while other necessary preparations have been made, including offering passenger guidance to ensure smoother travel.
"We open at 07:00 in the morning, and the first bus usually arrives at around 08:00. From 08:00 in the morning, buses continuously arrive throughout the day. Currently, we handle approximately 1,500 passenger crossings per day. During the May Day holiday, we expect a small peak in the number of inbound and outbound passengers, with an estimated daily total of around 2,500," said Shi Xinming, deputy director of the second inspection team of the Hunchun border inspection station.
Chinese ports see tourism surge ahead of May Day holiday
