Airports in Shanghai have been ramping up preparations for the upcoming summer travel rush, as cross-border movement continues to surge, according to statistics from Shanghai's border inspection authorities.

Since the start of June, the city's two major airports, the Pudong International Airport and the Hongqiao International Airport, have witnessed heavy passenger traffic.

From June 15 to 28 alone, more than 1.52 million border crossings were recorded, an average of over 100,000 entries and exits per day, marking year-on-year increases of 14.8 percent and 14.7 percent, respectively.

With high school and college entrance exams concluding the spring semester and signaling the start of summer vacation, outbound travel is expected to further accelerate.

In the first half of this year, the top five visa-free destinations for Chinese citizens departing from Shanghai were Thailand, Singapore, South Korea's Jeju Island, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates.

At the same time, as China continues to ease visa restrictions for international visitors, the number of foreign tourists entering the country has steadily increased.

Since the beginning of this year, tourism has accounted for 56.2 percent for all foreign arrivals, with most visitors coming from countries such as Japan, South Korea and the United States.

Meanwhile, more than 1.62 million foreign nationals have entered China through Shanghai ports under visa-free policies, accounting for half of all inbound foreign arrivals through the city.

To handle the growing number of international travelers, the Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection has carried out various facilitation measures.

These include multilingual services, streamlined border clearance procedures, and a 24-hour service hotline (12367) to assist travelers with entry and exit inquiries.

Source: Shanghai Observer