A record 797,000 passengers entered and exited China through Northeast China’s Heilongjiang province in the first quarter of 2019, an 11.7 percent year-on-year increase, according to the province's border authorities.

Figures reveal that around 336,000 people entered and exited China through Heilongjiang’s land ports, accounting for 42.2 percent of the total, while airports accounted for more than 259,000 inbound and outbound travelers.

Affected by seasonal factors, passengers entering or exiting Heilongjiang via cruise ports saw a large decline due to the cancellation of ferry services. The number was 202,000 people, accounting for 25.3 percent of all travelers.

The number of foreigners entering the country also increased. In the first quarter, the number of foreigners who entered the country from Heilongjiang was 406,000, a year-on-year increase of 14.2 percent, accounting for 50.9 percent of the total number of travelers entering or exiting the province.

Ninety-two percent of inbound passengers come from Russia, with South Korea, and Japan being the next most common countries of origin.

Meanwhile, the top six travel destinations for outbound visitors were Russia, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, and Thailand.

In the future, the Heilongjiang Entry and Exit Bureau plans to launch a policy to improve customs clearance efficiency, which is expected to cut wait time for inbound visitors to less than 30 minutes.

Also, applications for inbound and outbound ships, aircraft, trains, and tour groups, as well as entry and exit record inquiries, will be available at the government affairs service platform launched by the National Immigration Administration on April 1.

A policeman inspects the visas of some Russian travelers on a cross-border train. [Photo/chinanews.com] 

A policeman poses for a photo with a foreign visitor at Heilongjiang’s border checkpoint. [Photo/chinanews.com]

A policewoman inspects a visitor’s visa at the Heilongjiang border checkpoint. [Photo/chinanews.com]