China's border ports to see 1.78m daily entry, exit trips amid Qingming Festival

BEIJING -- China's border ports are expected to see a daily average of 1.78 million inbound and outbound trips, up 74.5 percent year-on-year, during the upcoming Qingming Festival, according to a forecast released by the National Immigration Administration on Monday.

China's large international airports will see a steady amount of border arrivals and departures, with a daily average of 35,000 at Beijing Capital International Airport, 84,000 at Shanghai Pudong International Airport and 41,000 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, according to the NIA.

Meanwhile, land ports linking the Chinese mainland with Hong Kong and Macao as well as direct-flight destination ports between the mainland and Taiwan will see a notably rising amount of trips made by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents who are returning to their ancestral homes on the mainland to pay tribute to their ancestors during the holiday.

Among these ports, Gongbei Port in the city of Zhuhai and Luohu Port in the city of Shenzhen are estimated to handle 337,000 and 225,000 border entry-exit trips on a daily basis respectively.

The Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, falls on Thursday this year. It is a traditional Chinese festival that pays tribute to the deceased and is a time for people to worship their ancestors.