Shanghai handles over 19.6 million inbound, outbound travelers

Inbound passengers arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in east China's Shanghai, Jan. 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Ding Ting)

SHANGHAI, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai recorded more than 19.6 million inbound and outbound travelers in 2023, the city's border inspection authorities said on Thursday.

Some 19 million passengers entered or left China during this period via the two major airports in the city, namely Pudong and Hongqiao, accounting for about one third of China's total inbound and outbound travelers using airports.

A total of 19,000 ordinary passport holders from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Malaysia entered China visa-free in December 2023 via Shanghai, according to the city's border inspection station.

China's unilateral visa-free policy for ordinary passport holders from these countries took effect on Dec. 1, facilitating inbound travel of such passport holders.