Overseas tourists made 1.255 million inbound trips during China’s 5-day May Day holidays, a year-on-year surge of 12.5 percent, with 436,000 foreign visitors entering the country via the visa exemption policy, up 14.7 percent year-on-year, according to a Xinhua News Agency report, citing the latest data from the National Immigration Administration (NIA).

Overall, the NIA’s border inspection authorities ensured smooth flow of 11.279 million cross-border visitors during the holidays, with a daily average of 2.256 million, marking a 3.5 percent year-on-year increase. The busiest day for customs clearance fell on May 2, when passenger volume peaked at 2.529 million.

In addition, border inspection authorities inspected a total of 531,000 inbound and outbound trips, including by aircraft, ships, trains and vehicles, marking a year-on-year increase of 16.6 percent.

The growth in overseas tourist arrivals reflects global travelers’ growing willingness to visit China, with the visa exemption policy playing a major role in boosting inbound visits, industry insiders said.

Spring Travel Co told the Global Times on Wednesday that during the May Day holidays, its inbound tour groups varied in size, including standard groups of 30 tourists and customized small groups of five. Visitors stayed in Shanghai for an average of two to three days, with the longest stay lasting up to four nights.

Inbound tourists were keen on shopping at brand stores and purchasing trendy cultural and creative items, according to Spring Travel Co. Shanghai’s Nanjing East Road, Xintiandi and Tianzifang were among the most popular spots.

According to Trip.com information, the most popular Chinese cities for inbound visitors include Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in South China’s Guangdong Province. Russia, Japan and South Korea rank among the top source markets. Zhangjiajie in Central China’s Hunan Province saw an 80.3 percent year-on-year surge in inbound tourist arrivals, the fastest growth among China’s top 20 inbound destinations.

Qunar.com data showed that overseas visitors to Sanya in South China’s Hainan Province and Jieyang in South China’s Guangdong Province more than doubled, while Xi’an in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province posted a growth of over 70 percent. Yiwu in East China’s Zhejiang Province also emerged as a hot destination.

Inbound visitors from Kazakhstan jumped fivefold, while those from France and the United Kingdom both doubling year-on-year, according to the online travel service platform.

Data from Tongcheng Travel’s international platform HopeGoo showed bookings for inbound travel-related products rose 55 percent year on year during the May Day holidays.