Border crossings to spike by nearly 22% over Mid-Autumn Festival, says NIA

The National Immigration Administration said on Friday it expects an average of 1.8 million inbound and outbound travelers per day during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a 21.9 percent increase from the same period last year.

The holiday, which runs from Sept 15 to 17, is expected to see peak travel on Sept 14 and 17, the NIA said.

The surge in cross-border travel will be driven by the return of compatriots from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese for family reunions, causing a significant rise in traffic at national ports of entry, it added.

Major international airports are seeing a steady rise in passenger numbers. The daily average number of travelers is forecast to reach 42,000 at Beijing Capital International Airport, 95,000 at Shanghai Pudong International Airport, 42,000 at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, and 16,000 at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport.

Passenger flows at land ports near Hong Kong and Macao are also on the rise. Gongbei port in Guangdong province is expected to see 320,000 daily crossings, 100,000 at Qingmao in Zhuhai, 80,000 at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and 78,000 at Hengqin port.

In Shenzhen, crossings are expected to reach 200,000 per day at Luohu port, 177,000 at Futian port, 125,000 at Shenzhen Bay port, and 93,000 at West Kowloon Station on the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway.