Guangzhou and Xiamen, two of China's major transportation hubs, report record cross-border passenger trips this summer, as the travel season is close to end. International passenger summer trips at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guanzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong in south China, surged to a five-year high.
From July 1 to Aug 28, the airport handled over three million passenger entries and exits and 19,000 cross-border flights, up 14 percent and 10 percent year on year, respectively, setting a new record for the period in nearly five years, according to statistics from local customs.
"(Since the beginning of July,) we handled more than 52,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips on average daily, approximately 8 percent more than the pre-summer vacation period. Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand, Japan and Singapore are among the most popular destination countries for outbound travelers," said Lu Fang, an officer at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport Customs.
To cope with the growing travel flows, local immigration authority took measures to streamline the procedures and reduce the waiting time for the passengers.
"I love China. This is my third time in Guangzhou. Yeah, it's really a beautiful city, and really modern," said Nari, an international traveler.
In the neighboring Fujian Province in east China, the coastal tourist hub of Xiamen handled more than one million passenger trips between July 1 and Aug 30, a year-on-year increase of over 15 percent, hitting a new record high, according to data from the Xiamen Gaoqi Border Inspection Station.
Especially in August, the average daily passenger flow reached 17,000, the inspection station said.
Guangzhou, Xiamen witness record cross-border summer trips
