Sources from the In-and-Out Bound Section of Beijing Public Security Bureau, passport application and transaction have been on the rise and entered into a peak season as from November 20 onwards.

Last week, passport handling averaged 1200 pieces daily with the highest up to some 1400, which is almost 2.3 times that of an ordinary day. The increase is thrice as against that of the corresponding period of the previous year and during the peak period as up to December 9, the passport handling came to around 18 thousand in total.

According to the correspondents, passport application tends to be on the increase by yearend in recent years, for more and more people prefer to go abroad for a Christmas, New Year and Spring Festival holiday or a VFR (visiting-friend-and-relative) trip.

(People’s Daily 12/12/2000)