Passengers at Shenzhen North Railway Station. As the summer vacation draws to a close, Shenzhen is experiencing a peak in return travel.
On Saturday, Shenzhen’s exit and entry checkpoints recorded 972,000 border crossings, setting a new record since the resumption of border services following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Futian, Luohu, Shenzhen Bay, and Liantang checkpoints each set records with 237,000, 261,000, 157,000, and 102,000 travelers, respectively, according to data from the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection.
Despite the summer vacation nearing its end, the demand for travel remains strong. By Aug. 14 this year, the number of international travelers entering and exiting Shenzhen had exceeded 3 million, a 122.7% increase compared to the same period last year, underscoring Shenzhen’s appeal as a preferred destination.
Of these, 1.49 million were inbound travelers, and 367,000 entered under the visa exemption policy, which is 3.25 times the total for all of 2023. Currently, 11 Shenzhen checkpoints are included in Guangdong’s 144-hour visa-free transit policy for international travelers.
Since the beginning of this year, Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport has opened 10 international routes, including those to Mexico City and Budapest, and increased flights on eight routes, including those to Tokyo, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. Boosted by growing cross-border tourism during the summer, the number of international and cross-border flights Aug. 1 reached 183, setting a new record for the airport.
Furthermore, passenger volume on Shenzhen’s Metro system ranked among the top 3 in the country in August. Data show that there have been 500 million passenger trips on the city’s Metro network since the start of the summer travel season July 1.
The strong demand for travel, whether for tourism, family visits, leisure, or shopping, has driven the surge in Metro passenger flows throughout the city. The opening of the Shenzhong Link, the increasing popularity of Hong Kong and Macao residents traveling north, and large-scale concerts and other themed events have boosted travel enthusiasm among citizens, leading to a new peak in passenger flows on the city’s Metro network.
The vibrancy of cultural tourism and the commercial economy is reflected in passenger throughput. With an increase of visitors from outside of the city, passenger flow on Line 8 has surged, with throughput to Dameisha more than doubling compared to the period before the summer travel season. Even on weekdays, the daily average passenger flow to Dameisha on Line 8 remains at 26,700.