Foreign tourists helping boost holiday travel surge

China's international passenger transportation sector is expected to reach a new high during the ongoing May Day holiday, driven by steady policy support and surging travel demand, according to government and airport officials.

"During the May Day holiday, both passenger traffic and flight volume are expected to hit their highest levels since the start of the second quarter," Shang Kejia, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China's Department of Transport, said ahead of the May Day holiday, which began on Thursday and runs through Monday.

Shang noted that destinations such as Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia remain popular among outbound travelers, while inbound tourism is also picking up momentum.

As policies on visa facilitation, transit entry and instant tax refund services continue to improve, the number of foreign visitors to China is expected to grow further, encouraging more international airlines to expand flight operations, she said.

Nationwide, the civil aviation sector is expected to handle approximately 10.75 million passenger trips during the five-day holiday, averaging 2.15 million trips per day — a year-on-year increase of 8 percent and a record high for the period.

Xu Qing, director of the CAAC's transportation department, said efforts are being made to increase international passenger flights and improve travel convenience for foreign visitors.

According to Xu, Chinese and foreign airlines operated a total of 6,532 scheduled international passenger flights last week, serving 78 countries worldwide.

Airports have also seen a significant uptick in international traffic. As of April 25, Beijing Capital International Airport had recorded more than 5 million international passenger trips this year, representing a 19 percent year-on-year increase, according to Du Tao, an official from the airport's operation control center.

"The boost in traffic comes as the country continues to roll out favorable measures to facilitate easier international travel, including streamlined visa policies and increased flight connectivity," Du said.

He also noted that the surge is bolstered by the May Day holiday, traditionally one of China's busiest travel periods, with more travelers taking advantage of expanded flight options and improved global access.

Guo Hongfei, a supervisor at the airport's ground service department, said: "To improve the passengers' experience, luggage claim announcements are now provided in several languages, including French, Japanese and Russian."

Beijing Daxing International Airport is also enhancing its multilingual service capabilities. In collaboration with local universities, inquiry counters are now equipped with real-time translation devices and on-site interpretation support in eight languages, including English, French, German and Japanese.

At the airport, foreign travelers can enjoy improved services in payment, communication, transportation, baggage handling, tourism and consultation. All commercial outlets at the airport accept domestic as well as international bank cards, while currency exchange services are available throughout the terminal.

The number of inbound travelers is expected to increase during the holiday, which is supported by data from tourism agency Trip.com Group.

The group noted that international interest in China has been fueled in part by popular social media content. A recent travel video by US influencer Darren Jason Watkins Jr, better known as IShow-Speed, who has more than 39 million followers, has garnered significant attention online.

According to Trip.com, searches for hotels on the Chinese mainland have surged 200 percent, while inbound tourism bookings increased 173 percent as of mid-April. Major destinations include Shanghai and Beijing, as well as Guangzhou, Guangdong province, with visitors primarily coming from South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Russia.

Shanghai in particular saw a notable rebound in inbound tourism in the first quarter of this year. The city welcomed more than 1.74 million inbound visits from January to March, an increase of 37.1 percent year-on-year. Of these, foreign tourists accounted for nearly 1.26 million, marking a 61.9 percent rise, according to the Shanghai Administration of Culture and Tourism.

Cheng Si contributed to this story.

luowangshu@chinadaily.com.cn