More than five million foreign passengers' entries and exits had been recorded this year as of August 31 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in south China's Guangdong Province.
The figure marked a year-on-year increase of over 30 percent, a historic high for the same period, according to the airport's border inspection station.
The surging traffic reflects the combined impact of China's expanded 240-hour visa-free transit policy and a wave of major diplomatic events including the APEC meetings hosted by China.
"This is my second visit to China, and my first to Guangzhou. I plan to stay in the city for a week. Now we enjoy the visa-free policy, and fast-track clearance is incredibly convenient. Everything is just so easy.," said Oleg Mokrov, a Russian traveler.
While inbound foreign arrivals climb, the scale of Chinese citizens' exits and entries is also steading expanding. As of August 31, the airport had recorded cumulatively 7.67 Chinese citizens' exits and entries, up 11.1 percent year on year.
To handle the sustained high-volume flow, the border inspection authorities have rolled out a slew of passenger-friendly measures.
"We have streamlined the process by combining the temporary entry permit with inbound border inspection into a single transaction, practicing online arrival card filing services by handling them in advance, on mobile phones and offering guidance, paired with real-time multilingual translation to provide travel information services for inbound foreign passengers. For special groups such as the elderly, the weak, the sick, the disabled and women with pregnancy, we provide full-process guidance and assistance," said Xin Xin, an officer of the airport's border inspection station.
Guangzhou airport already handles 5 mln foreign passengers this year
