China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) expects more than 2.05 million inbound and outbound trips every day during the nine-day Spring Festival holiday that starts on 17 February (chinadaily.com.cn). That would be 14 percent higher than last year and marks the busiest Lunar New-Year travel peak since borders fully reopened.
Officials attribute the surge to an expanded unilateral visa-waiver list covering 45 countries, a 240-hour transit-visa programme at 65 entry points, and domestic “consumption incentives” aimed at luring overseas shoppers. They have pledged to deploy extra officers, open more inspection counters and keep e-gates running around the clock at major airports and land crossings to avoid bottlenecks (chinadaily.com.cn).
![China Forecasts Record 2 Million Daily Border Crossings During Spring Festival]()
For travelers whose passports aren’t on the waiver list—or who need longer-term work, study, or multiple-entry permits—VisaHQ can smooth the process. Its China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) consolidates current requirements, digital application tools, and courier options, helping both individuals and corporate travel managers lock in the right paperwork well ahead of the holiday surge.
For businesses, the projection signals crowded airports but also renewed opportunities for face-to-face meetings, trade-fair attendance and assignment kick-offs that were impossible three years ago. Travel managers are advised to build additional buffer time into itineraries, remind staff to pre-register health declarations on the “China Immigration” mini-programme, and watch for ad-hoc flight changes as carriers add capacity.
The NIA’s notice also hints at differentiated peaks: outbound traffic is set to crest on the first holiday day (Sunday 17 Feb), while the inbound tide is forecast for 22-23 February as overseas Chinese and tourists return. Companies scheduling rotational crews may wish to stagger start dates accordingly.
Officials attribute the surge to an expanded unilateral visa-waiver list covering 45 countries, a 240-hour transit-visa programme at 65 entry points, and domestic “consumption incentives” aimed at luring overseas shoppers. They have pledged to deploy extra officers, open more inspection counters and keep e-gates running around the clock at major airports and land crossings to avoid bottlenecks (chinadaily.com.cn).
For travelers whose passports aren’t on the waiver list—or who need longer-term work, study, or multiple-entry permits—VisaHQ can smooth the process. Its China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) consolidates current requirements, digital application tools, and courier options, helping both individuals and corporate travel managers lock in the right paperwork well ahead of the holiday surge.
For businesses, the projection signals crowded airports but also renewed opportunities for face-to-face meetings, trade-fair attendance and assignment kick-offs that were impossible three years ago. Travel managers are advised to build additional buffer time into itineraries, remind staff to pre-register health declarations on the “China Immigration” mini-programme, and watch for ad-hoc flight changes as carriers add capacity.
The NIA’s notice also hints at differentiated peaks: outbound traffic is set to crest on the first holiday day (Sunday 17 Feb), while the inbound tide is forecast for 22-23 February as overseas Chinese and tourists return. Companies scheduling rotational crews may wish to stagger start dates accordingly.
