According to information received from the National Immigration Administration of China (NIA), the number of passengers entering and exiting the country in the first quarter of this year exceeded 117,8 million, increasing by 141 percent compared to the same period last year.
In the same period, the number of passengers from the main part of China entering and exiting through China's border gates increased by 114,9 percent, reaching 69 million 541 thousand. The number of entries and exits of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents increased by 100,4 percent, reaching 59 million 115 thousand. The number of foreign visitors increased to 13 million 74 thousand, an increase of 305,2 percent compared to the same period last year.
According to transportation types, the number of people entering and leaving by plane in the first quarter of this year increased to 194 thousand, by train to 24 thousand, by ship to 102 thousand and by car to 7 million 33 thousand. These numbers indicate an increase of 158,6 percent, 14,2 percent, 15,9 percent and 78,5 percent, respectively.
In addition, in the first quarter of this year, a total of 118,8 thousand foreigners were granted visas, an increase of 466 percent compared to the same period last year, and 266,1 million 1 thousand foreigners entered China without a visa, an increase of 988 percent. The number of foreigners coming to China has tripled compared to the same period in 2023.