China expects 27% rise in cross-border travel during May Day holiday

BEIJING -- China is expected to see an average of 2.15 million daily border crossings during the five-day May Day holiday, representing a 27 percent increase from last year, according to the National Immigration Administration (NIA) on Monday.

The peak of cross-border travel is anticipated on May 1 and May 5.

Traffic at China's major international airports is set to grow steadily, with Shanghai Pudong expected to lead with 101,000 daily crossings, followed by Guangzhou Baiyun at 50,000 and Beijing Capital at 45,000, the administration said.

As travel between Hong Kong, Macao and Chinese mainland continues to rise, the May Day holiday is expected to bring even higher volumes, further amplified by a series of major events scheduled across the regions.

The NIA has urged border authorities to closely monitor cross-border traffic, providing regular updates to assist travelers. The agency also called for adequate security staffing to ensure wait times at border crossings do not exceed 30 minutes.

The May Day holiday is typically one of the busiest travel periods of the year. During the holiday, millions of Chinese travelers hit the road to visit family, explore domestic destinations, or venture abroad. This surge in travel provides a boost to the transportation, tourism, and retail sectors.

To welcome more international travelers, China has expanded visa-free policies to allow longer stays and wider travel within the country, simplified visa procedures, and introduced new conveniences such as instant tax refunds for departing visitors.

China has unilaterally extended visa-free entry to citizens of 38 countries and has also lengthened its visa-free transit policy for nationals of 54 countries to 240 hours.

These efforts have started to yield positive results, as the number of foreign tourists visiting China continues to rise. According to the latest data, 9.2 million foreign nationals entered China in the first three months of this year, a 40.2 percent increase from the same period last year. Visa-free entries accounted for 71.3 percent of this total.