Ports in Shanghai handled over 1.13 million inbound and outbound passenger trips during the just-concluded Spring Festival holiday period, according to data released by Shanghai Customs on Tuesday, while the east China financial hub also saw a vibrant consumer market during the holiday season.

The Spring Festival period -- China's biggest annual holiday marking the start of the Chinese New Year -- officially ran from Feb 15 to 23 this year. It sparks a major travel rush across the country with millions of Chinese either journeying back to their hometowns to reunite with family or embarking on travel and tourism excursions further afield.

During the holiday, Shanghai's Pudong International Airport, a global aviation hub, saw waves of inbound arrival peaks. Some passengers were traveling with pets, prompting customs authorities to open additional inspection channels to ensure smooth and orderly clearance.

A returning traveler surnamed Liu said she was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency of the pet clearance process.

"I initially thought bringing a pet through customs would be complicated, but after submitting the documentation, everything was completed in about ten minutes. The whole process was very smooth," she said.

Besides returning residents, many overseas visitors opted to visit Shanghai after the holiday rush, taking advantage of off-peak travel.

The implementation of China's extended visa-free policies brought a large amount of inbound and outbound crossings during this year's Spring Festival holiday, which this year marked the start of the Year of the Horse.

"Since the start of the 2026 Spring Festival travel rush, inbound and outbound passenger traffic has remained high. A total of 32 additional international flights were added, with daily number of cross-border passenger trips exceeding 100,00," said Zhou Yizhang, deputy chief of a passenger inspection section at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport's Customs Section.

Shanghai's Wusongkou International Cruise Terminal also experienced a travel surge, handling a combined 48,000 border entries and exits over the holiday period.

The rise in cross-border trips provided a direct boost to local consumption. Shanghai Customs processed 5,640 departure tax refund claims during the holiday, averaging 626 per day, three times the figure recorded during the same period last year.

During the Spring Festival holiday, the city's total online and offline spending went beyond 60 billion yuan (8.77 billion U.S. dollars), marking a year-on-year increase of nearly 13 percent. Meanwhile, 19 key shopping hubs across the city recorded average daily foot traffic of over 3 million visits, up nearly 16 percent year on year.