Xiamen Port in east China had handled more than 5 million inbound and outbound passenger trips so far this year as of Tuesday morning, a 10 percent year-on-year increase, with number of foreign visitors hitting a record high.

Data from the Xiamen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection showed that, foreign passenger traffic at Xiamen port reached nearly 900,000 since the beginning of this year, up almost 15 percent year on year and setting a new high for the same period.

Visa-free and transit visa-free arrivals accounted for roughly 60 percent of all inbound foreign passengers, serving as the primary engine of growth.

Chen Jinlai, deputy station chief of the Border Inspection Division at the Gaoqi Border Inspection Station, elaborated on the measures introduced to streamline entry for foreign visitors.

"To facilitate foreign travelers coming to China, we have implemented one-stop application for the 240-hour temporary entry permit, supported by a dual guarantee of advocating advance online declaration by airlines and requiring immediate processing upon arrival for passengers to further compress approval time. We have also encouraged passengers to fill their entry cards in advance and online, with staff members providing onsite filling guidance. As of now, the online filling rate at the port had reached 99 percent. Furthermore, we have rolled out polices to allow passengers from 18 domestic destinations to transit through Xiamen to international flights with one ticket only. The port has been continuously optimizing the customs clearance experience for foreign passengers," said Chen.

Statistics show that about 18,000 foreign passengers have entered visa-free through Xiamen Port and stayed in Fujian for more than 15 days this year, a year-on-year increase of more than 70 percent.

Driven by the 240-hour transit visa-free policy, more than 60 percent of foreign arrivals through Xiamen stayed longer than five days, further promoting inbound tourism, international consumption, and business exchanges.