Reporters learned from Qingdao Airport Immigration Inspection Station of Shandong General Station of Immigration Inspection that as of October 8, the total number of inbound and outbound passengers at Qingdao Airport Port reached 3 million, 26 days ahead of the schedule recorded last year. The scale of cross-border passenger flows at the port has hit a record high for the same period. The surging inbound and outbound passenger volume serves as a direct indicator of opening-up and market vitality. Fueled by policy dividends, expanded air routes and the city’s growing appeal, Qingdao Airport Port has emerged as a key aviation hub facilitating exchanges between Chinese and foreign travelers.
Frequent personnel exchanges have boosted cross-border trade and inbound cultural tourism consumption. In terms of passenger composition, as of October 8, outbound trips of mainland Chinese residents stood at over 927,000, a drop of around 12,000 year-on-year while travel demand remained stable. Main outbound destinations include the Republic of Korea and Southeast Asia, with trips primarily for sightseeing, business negotiations and family visits. The number of inbound foreign nationals exceeded 500,000, representing a 30% year-on-year increase. The Republic of Korea remains the top source country for inbound visitors, with more than 323,000 arrivals. Growth from multiple Southeast Asian countries is remarkable: inbound visitors from Malaysia and Thailand rose by 191.6% and 660.4% year-on-year respectively. Meanwhile, travel between Qingdao and Russia has also picked up. A growing number of foreign tourists enter China via Qingdao to explore its coastal scenery and urban culture. The option of “Visiting China via Qingdao” is gaining popularity among overseas travelers.
Visa exemption policies have significantly lowered barriers to cross-border travel and driven rapid growth in inbound tourism and business exchanges. China’s unilateral visa exemption for multiple countries and the 240-hour transit visa exemption policy continue to generate benefits, simplifying entry procedures for foreign visitors. Statistics show that 81% of foreign nationals entering China via Qingdao Airport Port this year arrived under visa exemption arrangements.
To date, Qingdao Airport has opened 30 international and regional air routes, including 28 direct flights. On October 2, the Qingdao-Vancouver route resumed service, currently Shandong Province’s only direct passenger air route to North America, further connecting Qingdao with North America for personnel exchanges and economic and trade cooperation. During the National Day holiday, passenger throughput of international and regional flights at Qingdao Airport increased by 13% year-on-year. Specifically, passenger volumes on routes to the Republic of Korea, Southeast Asia, intercontinental destinations and regional destinations rose by 23%, 63%, 15% and 17% respectively. The Qingdao-Seoul route operates 20 flights daily, ranking first nationwide in flight frequency.
While expanding and adding more international and regional routes, Qingdao Airport has improved service capacity for inbound travelers by streamlining customs clearance procedures and upgrading service facilities. To further facilitate overseas visitors to Qingdao, Qingdao Airport, together with over ten authorities including customs and immigration inspection, has rolled out nine service measures to enhance inbound travel convenience. Two new hand baggage pre-inspection lanes have been added, lifting customs clearance efficiency by over 30%. The Comprehensive Service Center for Overseas Guests integrates services covering payment, cultural tourism, telecommunications and transportation, offering one-stop services such as currency exchange and transfer connections. Signs along international passenger circulation lines in the terminal building feature texts in Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean, delivering more convenient airport services for inbound passengers.
Editor: Zhou Jianliang/ Wang Yulin
