As China prepares for the annual three-day Qingming Festival holiday starting April 4, national immigration officials are projecting a notable uptick in cross-border passenger movement across the country’s ports of entry and exit. New data released by the National Immigration Administration this Wednesday forecasts that daily cross-border traveler volumes will climb above 2.3 million on average throughout the holiday, marking an 11.1% year-on-year increase compared to the 2025 Qingming break. The Qingming Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday centered on ancestor veneration, tomb sweeping, and spring outings, has increasingly become a popular window for international and cross-border leisure and family travel in recent years. This projected growth reflects a steady rebound in global mobility and sustained demand for cross-border trips among Chinese residents and international visitors alike. The busiest cross-border hubs are concentrated among major international airports across China’s largest economic centers, including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shenzhen. All of these facilities are anticipating a steady rise in passenger throughput compared to ordinary non-holiday periods. Leading the pack is Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China’s busiest aviation gateway for international travel, which is expected to process an average of roughly 95,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips each day over the holiday period. Immigration authorities have announced pre-emptive adjustments to operational arrangements to accommodate the surge, including adding extra inspection lanes, optimizing passenger clearance processes, and deploying additional staff to reduce wait times and avoid congestion at major ports. The projected growth in cross-border travel aligns with broader trends of rising domestic and international mobility in China, as more travelers take advantage of long holiday weekends to plan overseas trips, reunite with family members living abroad, or welcome international visitors to China.