China records over 17.7 mln cross-border trips during Spring Festival holiday

BEIJING, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- China saw a total of 17.796 million cross-border trips during the Spring Festival holiday period ending on Monday, official data showed.

During the period, the average daily number of cross-border trips rose 10.1 percent year on year to 1.977 million, the National Immigration Administration said on Tuesday.

Among them, the average daily number of cross-border trips made by mainland residents and residents from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan both rose year on year, by 10.2 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

International visitors made 1.313 million crossings, with the daily average rising 21.8 percent year on year. Among inbound international travelers, 460,000 entered under visa-free policies, up 28.5 percent from the daily average during last year's holiday.

Amidst rising trends such as "becoming Chinese" on social media, traveling to China for the Spring Festival has become a new trend among international tourists, boosted by the expanding circle of visa-free countries, improved tax refund policies, and upgraded inbound tourism services.

China has expanded its unilateral visa-free access to 50 countries, extending the policy to ordinary passport holders from Canada and Britain, which started Feb. 17, the first day of the Chinese New Year.

Last year, the total number of entry ports covered under the 240-hour visa-free transit policy reached 65, significantly streamlining travel for international visitors.