China News Service, Shanghai, October 12 (Reporter Chen Jing) The Shanghai General Border Inspection Station disclosed on the 12th that in the first three quarters of this year, Shanghai ports inspected a total of 5.138 million foreigners entering the country, a year-on-year increase of 18.5%. Among them, 3.431 million foreigners entered the country enjoying the visa-free policy and the 240-hour transit visa-free policy, accounting for 66.8% of the total number of foreigners entering the country.
On the 11th, the number of foreign arrivals at Shanghai Port exceeded 31,000, setting a record high for the number of foreign arrivals in a single day.
It is reported that in recent years, with the continuous expansion of China’s visa-free “circle of friends”, it has become more convenient for foreigners to travel, negotiate business, and visit relatives and friends in China. At present, China has implemented a unilateral visa-free policy for 50 countries, and the number of countries applicable to the 240-hour transit visa-free policy has increased to 57. The continuous release of the dividends of the visa-free policy has enabled more and more foreigners to embark on a "go-and-go" trip to China, and has also become the main driving force for the continuous growth of inbound passenger flow at Shanghai Port.
From "China Travel", which continues to be popular on overseas social platforms, to the recent rise of "China Haul" (China Shopping Unboxing), foreign tourists' trips to China are extending from sightseeing to in-depth experience and shopping consumption. More and more foreign tourists are visiting China, feeling the beauty of the East in the beautiful scenery, appreciating the charm of Chinese culture in the experience of traditional skills, and shopping for their favorite Chinese products in the streets and alleys of business districts. From national fashion clothing, distinctive cultural and creative products to smart digital products, the shopping experience of "coming with an empty box and leaving with a full box" has become a hot topic on overseas social platforms. The strong popularity of inbound tourism is further transforming into consumption vitality in the Chinese market.
As China's largest economic center city, Shanghai is accelerating its development into an international convention and exhibition capital, with various international exhibitions and major events being held one after another. From the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in July to the 48th World Skills Competition in September, to the recently held Shanghai Rolex Masters and the 26th China International Industrial Expo, exhibitors, contestants and tourists from all over the world have come in droves.
At the same time, it has been less than a month since the opening of the 9th China International Import Expo. With multiple demands such as business exchanges, event viewings and tourism consumption superimposed, Shanghai's attractiveness as "China's first stop for inbound tourism" continues to increase, adding new momentum to the growth of inbound passenger flow at the port.
In addition, the capacity level of Shanghai's international aviation hub continues to improve, providing more convenient transportation support for cross-border personnel exchanges. Since the beginning of this year, Shanghai's two major international airports have continued to expand their aviation networks, opening new international routes from Shanghai to Adelaide, Australia, Cheongju, South Korea, and Krasnoyarsk, Russia, resuming flights from Shanghai to Stockholm, Sweden, and increasing flights to international destinations such as Zurich, Switzerland, and Marseille, France, further improving Shanghai's connectivity with major cities in the world. At present, the international aviation network of Shanghai's two major airports has covered more than 300 destinations in more than 50 countries around the world, providing more travel options for international business exchanges and cross-border tourism.
Faced with the continued increase in the inbound passenger flow of foreigners, the Shanghai General Immigration Inspection Station continues to optimize the port clearance guarantee mechanism, dynamically open additional inspection channels during concentrated arrival periods of international flights, and implement a classified inspection model for foreigners to guide the orderly diversion and rapid customs clearance of different types of passengers. At the same time, the terminal continues to deepen the online application for filling in foreign entry cards. United Airlines has moved the filling instructions to ticket purchase, check-in, boarding and other links to facilitate foreign passengers to complete the entry information declaration in advance. At present, the online completion rate for foreign entry cards at Shanghai Port has exceeded 90%.
