Beijing News (Reporter Zuo Lin Correspondent Yang Ziji Hua Kaihang) A reporter from the Beijing News learned from the Nanjing Border Inspection Station that in the first three quarters of this year, the number of passengers entering and leaving the country through the Nanjing Airport Port exceeded 2 million, and there were 14,522 inbound and outbound flights, an increase of 102% and 88% respectively compared with the same period in 2023, setting a record for the fastest growth in the past five years.

Jiangsu is a major economic and open province, with close foreign exchanges and huge potential for cross-border passenger flow growth. With the superposition of multiple factors such as the continued economic stability and improvement, the inbound and outbound passenger flow at Nanjing Airport Port, the largest air port in Jiangsu, has achieved rapid growth.

In terms of departure, thanks to the recovery and expansion of international routes and the high popularity of outbound tourism among Chinese citizens, a large number of passengers choose to travel from Nanjing Lukou International Airport to travel, and traditional tourist destinations such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and China, Hong Kong and Macao are still very popular. Since the beginning of this year, the number of Chinese citizens leaving the country through the Nanjing Airport Port has reached 856,000, an increase of 103.22% year-on-year. Among them, the number of Chinese citizens whose purpose is to travel has reached 433,800, an increase of 101.44% year-on-year. Short-term outbound travel during holidays, family "parent-child travel", company team building tours have become the choice for more and more residents to travel.

Passengers enter and exit from Nanjing. Photo provided by the interviewee

In terms of entry, China has successively implemented unilateral visa exemption to many countries and introduced a policy to expand the scope of 144-hour transit visa exemption, which are important reasons for the significant increase in inbound foreign tourists. Since the beginning of this year, the number of foreign tourists entering the country through the Nanjing Airport Port has reached 101,500, an increase of 79.99% year-on-year. Among them, the number of foreign tourists whose entry purpose is tourism reached more than 25,500, an increase of 306.78% year-on-year. The three countries with the largest number of entry are South Korea, Singapore and Japan. Among the 19,591 people who entered the country enjoyed visa-free convenience, accounting for 19.30% of the total number of foreigners entering the country.

It is reported that in order to better serve Jiangsu's tourism and economic and trade exchanges with friendly provinces and states abroad and major cities along the Belt and Road, since the beginning of this year, Nanjing Airport Port has newly opened international passenger routes from Nanjing to Melbourne, Australia, Nanjing to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Tawau. At the same time, it has newly encrypted international passenger routes from Nanjing to Tokyo, Japan, Nanjing to Bangkok, Thailand and other places.

Flight data shows that since the beginning of this year, the average number of international (regional) passenger flights at Nanjing Airport Port Port has exceeded 420 per week, of which the most are flights to and from Japan, accounting for 20.29%, and there are also many flights to and from South Korea, Thailand and other places. At present, Nanjing Lukou International Airport has opened more than 20 international (regional) passenger routes to Milan, Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul, Jeju, Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore and other places.

Thanks to the continuous improvement of Lukou International Airport's international route network, traveling for passengers in Nanjing and surrounding areas is becoming more and more convenient. During the just-passed National Day holiday, many passengers chose to travel with their families. On the afternoon of October 7, passengers heading to Singapore and Tokyo, Japan were waiting for inspection in an orderly manner in the exit hall of Nanjing Lukou International Airport. This is the second time that the outbound traveler, Ms. Wang, who lives in Gulou District, Nanjing, has traveled abroad from Nanjing to experience the exotic style this year, and the family of three has only taken less than twenty seconds to pass the side inspection.

In order to cope with the continuous growth of inbound and outbound passenger flow, the Nanjing Border Inspection Station closely monitors the port flow, adds front-line duty and standby police, actively implements service measures for the people, and promptly opens green channels and emergency channels to provide convenience for passengers in need, and strives to ensure the safety and smoothness of the port.

"We continue to replace old inspection equipment, update and improve the on-site traffic flow lines and signs at the port, and adjust the proportion of manual channels and fast channels in real time to ensure that the peak period of passenger flow is staggered during peak hours, so as to maximize the customs clearance efficiency while improving passengers' experience." Huang Xinfeng, deputy director of the Border Inspection Department of Nanjing Border Inspection Station, said.

Editor Gan Hao

Proofreading Yang Li