On September 1, the reporter learned from the Kunming Exit-Entry Border Inspection Station that the 2026 summer travel season (July 1 to August 31) officially concluded. During the summer travel season, the station handled more than 5,200 inbound and outbound flights and over 649,000 inbound and outbound passenger trips, with an average daily passenger volume exceeding 10,000. Overall passenger flow increased by about 4.98 percent compared with the same period in 2025. Sightseeing, visiting relatives and friends, and attending meetings were the main reasons for travel. Among them, more than 162,000 foreign travelers entered visa-free, accounting for 58.61 percent of total foreign arrivals from abroad. Travelers from South and Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Laos accounted for 57.05 percent of total foreign arrivals. The benefits of visa-free policies, combined with Yunnan's geographic advantages, continued to boost inbound tourism.

Passengers scan their ID cards to complete self-service entry procedures.

To cope with the continued increase in passenger traffic, Kunming border inspection station adhered to the principle of “smart guidance and service improvement,” taking multiple measures to enhance clearance efficiency. Through big data analysis, it analyzed flight schedules and forecast passenger-flow peaks, and scientifically implemented a duty model featuring “dynamic reinforcement plus classified inspection.” During peak passenger flow periods, staffed inspection lanes and automated fast-track lanes were fully opened to ensure that passengers' waiting time for clearance did not exceed 30 minutes. Given the large number of travelers from South and Southeast Asia, multilingual service counters in English, Thai, Lao and Burmese were set up, and dedicated priority lanes were opened for elderly passengers, pregnant women and other travelers with special needs.

At the same time, the station expanded the use of an online pre-declaration system for foreign nationals entering China, incorporated the “Foreigner Temporary Entry Card” into the online filing system, and enabled automated verification after entry and streamlined the entire clearance process, reducing the average clearance time by more than 20 percent.

Next, Kunming border inspection station will continue to improve immigration management service measures, deepen coordination with airlines, travel agencies and other parties, and contribute border inspection strength to facilitating people-to-people exchanges between China and foreign countries and to developing Yunnan into a hub serving South and Southeast Asia.

Click here to view the Chinese report

(Editors: Jennifer, Rachel)