China is set to experience a sharp uptick in cross-border travel during the upcoming Qingming Festival holiday, running from April 4 to 6, according to official projections released Wednesday by the National Immigration Administration. The agency forecasts that average daily cross-border trips will exceed 2.3 million, representing an 11.1 percent increase compared to the same holiday period in 2025.
Beyond its deep cultural roots as a time for ancestral tomb sweeping and honoring family predecessors, the Qingming Festival has evolved into one of China’s most popular windows for spring leisure travel. This year’s anticipated travel boom has been amplified by two key complementary factors: multiple local regions have rolled out dedicated spring break arrangements for primary and secondary school students, expanding the pool of potential travelers, and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao are scheduled to observe a five-day holiday for the occasion, creating extended opportunities for cross-border movement.
Official projections show that major international hubs across the country, including Shanghai Pudong International Airport, Beijing Capital International Airport, Chengdu Tianfu International Airport, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport and Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, will all see modest growth in passenger volumes compared to previous years. By contrast, land ports connecting the Chinese mainland with Hong Kong and Macao are on track to record far more robust growth, driven by two overlapping demand streams: rising numbers of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents returning to their ancestral hometowns for traditional rites, and growing inbound travel from overseas Chinese and international tourists.
Among the busiest border crossings, Shenzhen’s key checkpoints are projected to see heavy daily traffic: Luohu is expected to handle roughly 250,000 crossings per day, followed by Futian at 230,000, Shenzhen Bay at 190,000, West Kowloon High-Speed Rail Station at 120,000, and Liantang at 110,000. In Zhuhai, which serves as the main mainland gateway to Macao, the Gongbei checkpoint alone is forecast to register 375,000 daily crossings, while the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge checkpoint will see 152,000 daily trips, and both Qingmao and Hengqin checkpoints are projected to handle 113,000 daily cross-border trips each.
The projected surge in cross-border travel comes as regional tourism and cross-border family ties continue to recover following years of restricted movement, with the combination of cultural tradition and extended holiday timelines creating ideal conditions for increased mobility across China’s borders this spring.