The immense popularity of the 139th Canton Fair has ushered in a historic peak in inbound and outbound passenger traffic at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in South China's Guangdong Province.
The grand trade expo, officially the China Import and Export Fair, concluded on Tuesday after welcoming hundreds of thousands of overseas buyers.
During the fair, Baiyun Airport handled more than 1.14 million inbound and outbound travelers, a 14.5 percent increase from the previous year. Foreign nationals accounted for nearly half of that total, up 20.8 percent year on year.
As the third phase of this year's Canton Fair overlapped with the May Day holiday, the airport handled more than 1,700 inbound and outbound flights and approximately 290,000 passenger trips between May 1 and May 5, a year-on-year increase of about 14 percent and 16 percent respectively, reaching a record high for the same period.
According to border officials, significantly more foreign traders attended this edition of the fair and stayed longer than in previous years. Nearly half of incoming foreign nationals held visas or temporary permits valid for over 10 days, indicating that more international business travelers are combining work with leisure travel.
Immigration authorities also noted a significantly expanded geographic diversity of inbound foreign visitors during the event.
"During the 139th Canton Fair, inbound foreign arrivals at Baiyun Airport came from 191 countries and regions across the globe. Apart from traditional major source countries such as Malaysia and the Republic of Korea, countries including Australia and Indonesia entered the top 10 countries of origin for the first time. We also saw a remarkable increase in the number of travelers from Russia, the United Kingdom, and Canada," said Wang Yang, captain of the Ninth Duty Team of Baiyun Entry-Exit Border Inspection Station.
Established in 1957, the Canton Fair takes place twice a year in Guangzhou. It is the longest running of several comprehensive international trade events in China, and it has been hailed as the barometer of China's foreign trade.
Guangzhou sees record-high foreign visitor numbers during Canton Fair
