CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- The summer holiday is over. According to the Exit and Entry Administration Division of the Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau, 359,000 Chongqing travelers had gone to other countries in this summer holiday. For the first time, Russia entered into the top ten destinations.

As shown by the statistics of the Exit and Entry Administration Division, 417,000 certificates for overseas travel were issued in this summer vacation in Chongqing, an increase of 11.6% from the last summer. The number of tourists travelling abroad reached 359,000, an increase of 24.3% from the last period. In the summer vacation, 80% of the applicants applied for handling certificates for overseas travel by appointment via WeChat; 55.4% of applicants paid via WeChat; 30.2% paid by credit card or booked fees via self-service payment terminal. Some 83% applied for endorsement on their Exit-Entry Permit for Travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao. Data showed that 26% of Mainland Residents Traveling to Taiwan got certificates via a self-service machine. The seventeen 24-hour self-service halls handled endorsements for over 6,000 customers and produced over 32,000 certificates during non-office hours.

The ranking of travel destination was different from the same period last year. The top ten were: Hong Kong, Thailand, Macao, Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, the US, Taiwan and Russia. It was the first time that Russia entered into the top ten list, with a year-on-year growth rate of 71.6% from the last year. In June this year, the flight from Chongqing to Moscow was opened and it is much easier now for Chongqing people travelling to Moscow. (Translated by Ma Shuangshuang, Fathom Language Limited)