Skip to main content
China's National Immigration Administration announced on October 9, 2025, that 16.343 million border crossings were made during the combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, a daily average of 2.043 million and up 11.5% year on year. Crossings by foreign nationals rose 21.6% to 1.434 million, and visa-free entries by foreigners jumped 46.8%.
Overview
On October 9, 2025, China's National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced that immigration authorities nationwide handled 16.343 million border crossings by Chinese and foreign travelers during the 2025 holiday that combined National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The daily average was 2.043 million crossings, up 11.5% year on year. The busiest day was October 4, with 2.353 million crossings.
Background
Because National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival overlapped in 2025, the holiday ran for eight days, from October 1 to 8. In China, border crossing figures during long holidays are watched as one indicator of trends in domestic and international travel and consumption.
In recent years the Chinese government has expanded its unilateral visa-free policy to more countries and broadened visa-free transit arrangements in order to encourage foreign visitors. For Japan, visa-free entry for short stays by Japanese nationals resumed at the end of November 2024. Shenzhen, with land ports such as Luohu, Futian and Shenzhen Bay that connect it to Hong Kong, is one of the main gateways for travel in South China.
Key Points
| Category | Crossings | Year on year |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 16.343 million | +11.5% |
| Mainland residents | 9.165 million | +9.6% |
| Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents | 5.744 million | +12.2% |
| Foreign nationals | 1.434 million | +21.6% |
- Foreign entries: Foreign nationals made 751,000 entries into China, up 19.8%. Of these, 535,000 were made under visa-free policies, a sharp increase of 46.8%.
- Transport: Inspections of aircraft, ships, trains and motor vehicles totaled 744,000, up 11%.
- Operations: Ports forecast and published passenger flows and reminded travelers to avoid peak times, while opening all inspection lanes. With a target of keeping waiting times for mainland residents within 30 minutes, agencies coordinated on crowd management, transport support and responses to extreme weather.
What It Means for Japan–Shenzhen Exchange
The strong growth in crossings by foreign nationals, and especially in visa-free entries, suggests that the expansion of visa-free policies is helping to drive travel. The announcement did not break the figures down by country or region, but simpler procedures are likely to make travel easier for business trips and tourism from Japan as well.
The 12.2% increase in crossings by Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents also points to active cross-border movement in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area, which includes Shenzhen. Since many Japanese business travelers reach Shenzhen via Hong Kong, more efficient port clearance is seen as a factor affecting the convenience of business activities and meetings in the city. Holiday spending and travel trends may also offer a useful reference for understanding Shenzhen's retail and service sectors, as well as outbound travel by Chinese residents, including trips to Japan.
For Japanese companies with operations in Shenzhen, long holidays are also periods that affect factory schedules, logistics and customs clearance. Congestion at ports around the holiday and improvements in border services are therefore practical concerns when planning business trips from Japan and the movement of staff. As business and tourism travel between China and Japan recovers and expands, the ease of border clearance is likely to have a direct bearing on the efficiency and experience of exchange, and the authorities' service measures are expected to remain a focus of attention.
Outlook
The announcement covers national totals for the holiday period and does not include separate figures for Shenzhen's ports or for travel to and from Japan. It will be worth watching how the effects of the visa-free policy and country-level trends appear in data to be released later, such as quarterly statistics. In addition, the current visa-free arrangement for Japanese nationals was set to run until the end of 2025, and what would follow had not been announced at the time of this release.
From the Association
The Association follows policy and statistical developments related to travel between Shenzhen and Japan. We will continue to provide information useful for business, tourism and exchange activities.
This article is based on publicly available information and is provided for reference only; accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed.