Li Hao

SHENZHEN checkpoints saw around 4.7 million border-crossing tourists, or a daily average of 520,000 people, from Sept. 30 to Oct. 8, the National Day holidays, the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection said Thursday.

The travel peak occurred Oct. 4 with 640,000 people crossing the borders; 420,000 inbound and 220,000 outbound.

A total of 14,000 tour groups crossed the borders, which also saw 70,000 outbound Shenzhen residents with a Shenzhen-Hong Kong multi-entry visa, said the station.

The current global economic downturn contributed to a decrease in long-distance tours to Europe and American countries, while trips to Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, South Korea and some Southeast Asian countries were very popular, the Shenzhen Ocean Charm International Travel Services Co. said.

Among the checkpoints, Huanggang saw 650,000 people crossing the border between Oct. 1 and 7, while 550,000 passed through Futian Checkpoint.

The peak for returning travelers occurred Oct. 7, when Huanggang Checkpoint saw 60,000 travelers, most returning from Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asian countries.

Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint saw a one-third increase compared with the National Day holidays last year.

Tourist peaks occurred at the checkpoint between 8 a.m. and midnight, and were handled by measures including the addition of temporary inspection channels and use of snake-like waiting channels.