China is expected to see an average of 1.56 million inbound and outbound passenger trips a day during this weekend's three-day New Year holiday, more than five times as many as last year, when international travel was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Immigration Administration said on Thursday.

The number is 90 percent of that in 2019, before the pandemic took hold. This year's New Year holiday will run from Saturday to Monday.

The expected surge is primarily being attributed to the ongoing resumption of international flights, visa-free entry for Chinese citizens traveling to countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, and China's unilateral extension of visa-free entry to citizens from six countries, including France and Germany.

Inbound and outbound trips at Beijing Capital International Airport are expected to average 33,000 a day, with Shanghai Pudong International Airport expecting 68,000 and Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport 34,000.

Passenger volumes at land ports to Hong Kong and Macao in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, are expected to continue growing, with Luohu expected to handle 190,000 travelers a day over the holiday, Futian 180,000, and Shenzhen Bay 120,000.