(Yicai) Feb. 5 -- Shanghai reported a record number of passengers during three straight days over the eight-day Chinese New Year holiday thanks to a surge in both inbound and outbound travel.

The passenger throughput at Shanghai's two major airports reached a record high of 412,000 on Feb. 3, with 264,000 at Pudong International Airport and the rest at Hongqiao International Airport, according to data released by the airports' operator Shanghai Airport Authority. The figure topped 398,000 on Feb. 1 and 404,000 on Feb. 2, also historic highs.

With the peak passager return flow during the 40-day Chinese New Year travel period still to come, the passenger throughput at Shanghai's airports is expected to break further records.

Shanghai is a popular destination for many domestic tourists, with the number of related travel bookings to the city during this year's Chinese New Year holiday surging nearly three-fold from a year earlier, according to data from Alibaba Group Holding-backed online travel agency Fliggy.

Thanks to the continuous optimization of China's visa-free policy, the number of foreign visitors to Shanghai soared more than 60 percent from Jan. 28 to 29 from a year ago, data from travel giant Ctrip showed. Tourists mainly came from South Korea, Japan, Singapore, the United States, and Malaysia.

Demand for overseas travel among Shanghai citizens is also strong. According to statistics from Qunar, the number of outbound air tickets purchased in the city soared 57 percent from a year earlier to lead the country.

Around 60 percent of Shanghai citizens going abroad picked Japan, Thailand, Singapore, and South Korea as their destinations, according to data from the Shanghai General Station of Immigration Inspection.

Thanks to the accelerated resumption of domestic and international routes last year, the Pudong International Airport was the busiest in China for the first time in four years, with a passenger throughput of 76.79 million, according to the Shanghai Airport Authority. Guangzhou's Baiyun International Airport ranked second with 76.37 million trips.

In addition, the Pudong International Airport continues to grow, with the fourth phase of its expansion project entering a new construction stage last November. The airport's annual passenger capacity will likely reach 130 million by 2030.

Editor: Martin Kadiev