[By Guancha Observer Network, Deng Jun; Edited by Zhao Qiankun]
According to reports from international tourism industry media such as Travel And Tour World and Vietnam's VnExpress website, with China further expanding its visa-free country scope and optimizing its entry policies, Shenzhen is accelerating its transformation into an international tourism, business, and innovation hub and has become one of the top choices for Southeast Asian tourists.
The South China Morning Post reported recently that this year, the number of foreign nationals entering Shenzhen through the airport port under visa exemption exceeded 152,000, up 160.3% year-on-year; the total number of foreign travelers entering and exiting exceeded 531,000, up 54.6% year-on-year. The source structure shows that Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Singapore are the main sources of overseas tourists.
As the headquarters of China's tech giants Tencent and Huawei, Shenzhen, leveraging its globally leading science and technology innovation ecosystem and geographical advantages in the Greater Bay Area, continues to release the city branding effect of "technology + tourism".
Data released by authorities show that in the first quarter of 2025, Shenzhen received a total of 48.112 million tourists, including over 8 million inbound tourists, up 17.3% year-on-year, with a 30.6% increase in international tourism revenue.
Visual China
Industry analysts believe that behind these figures lies not only the traffic brought by China's 240-hour visa-free transit policy but also the increasing attractiveness of Shenzhen to the outside world - from towering skyscrapers, bustling shopping districts, tranquil parks, to magnificent coastal scenery, Shenzhen is providing rich and diverse travel experiences and warm hospitality for different types of overseas tourists.
On April 5, the six-hour urban exploration live broadcast in Shenzhen by American internet celebrity "Hyperthyroidism Brother" (IShowSpeed), who has 38 million followers, attracted global attention. His check-in route covered places like Happy Coast, MixC World, Happy Bay, Window of the World, and Shenzhen Bay Park.
As of April 8, the video content accumulated more than 8 million views on the YouTube platform, and segments such as the drone light show, BYD's floating mode, and robot dance have sparked cross-border transmission trends.
Vietnam's VnExpress website reported that compared to similar cities in Asia, Shenzhen has significant advantages in controlling living costs. The combination of "visa convenience + cost-effectiveness advantage + digital infrastructure" makes it an ideal choice for expatriates, digital nomads, business travelers, and leisure tourists.
Currently, there is no unified standard for evaluating world-class tourist destinations, but the "length of stay" and "consumption depth" of tourists are indispensable measurement indicators. For this, Shenzhen has its own "solution" - tapping into local resources to create tourism products with Shenzhen characteristics and advantages, launching more distinctive tourism souvenirs, and accelerating the construction of a high-quality and highly attractive and competitive sightseeing tourism product supply system.
For example, in terms of air network layout, Shenzhen Airport plans to launch direct flights to Dubai in July this year, and new routes connecting Shenzhen with popular destinations such as Osaka, Singapore, Bangkok, and Hanoi are also planned to be launched later this year. These new routes aim to promote tourism, business travel, and international exchanges.
At the meeting to accelerate the development of the city's tourism held in April 2025, Shenzhen clearly proposed to promote high-quality leapfrog development of the entire city's tourism industry, accelerate the creation of a world-class sightseeing tourism and leisure resort destination city, and set a strategic goal of building a world-class tourism destination within three years.
Looking ahead, Travel And Tour World reported that further expanding the visa-free country scope and optimizing entry policies reflect China's determination to re-integrate into the global tourism market, encouraging international tourists to explore its diversified regions, vibrant cities, and rich cultural heritage. As a city integrated with modernity, opportunities, and convenience, Shenzhen is one of the core tourist destinations in this strategy.
The report predicts that with the expansion of international routes and the deepening of visa policies, Shenzhen is expected to become an important gateway city for global travelers entering China and Asia. In the future, the Shenzhen faced by global travelers and businesspeople will be a more convenient and interconnected international metropolis and tourist destination.
This article is an exclusive contribution by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reproduced without permission.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7507199579859976739/
Disclaimer: This article represents the author's personal views. Please express your attitude by clicking the "Like" or "Dislike" button below.