Shenzhen, the southern tech hub of China, has witnessed a significant increase in the number of international tourists in 2025, largely influenced by the country's expanded visa-free entry policies and its integration within the Greater Bay Area that encompasses Guangdong province, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Reports indicate that the city has welcomed over 152,000 visa-free entries from foreign nationals in 2025, marking a remarkable year-on-year increase of 160.3%.

Overall, foreign passenger entries into Shenzhen have risen by 54.6% since last year, reaching a total of 531,000 entries.

The influx of visitors is not limited to those arriving from China's special administrative regions.

Countries such as Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and Singapore are among the top contributors to the rising number of tourists.

To accommodate this growing demand for international travel, Shenzhen’s airport is set to launch a direct flight to Dubai in July 2025.

The city has also added various international routes this year, connecting to urban centres including Vientiane, Osaka, Singapore, Tokyo, Bangkok, and Hanoi.

Shenzhen’s appeal to travelers can be attributed to its role as a central hub for trade and manufacturing, alongside the presence of leading tech companies like Tencent and Huawei.

Its proximity to Hong Kong, combined with a relatively low cost of living, further enhances its attractiveness as a destination for both leisure and business activities.

In recent developments, popular figures have also helped spotlight Shenzhen as a tourist destination.

YouTube star IShowSpeed, who has approximately 39.5 million followers, streamed a five-hour live broadcast from the city in early April, drawing 8.7 million views.

China's relaxation of entry procedures, including visa waivers for a broader array of countries starting in late 2023, is a response to revitalizing the tourism sector after three years of stringent pandemic-related travel restrictions.

This policy, which introduced a 240-hour visa-free transit option at the end of 2023, has played a pivotal role in driving tourism growth.

In 2024, approximately 20.1 million tourists utilized visa-free entry to China, reflecting an increase of 112% compared to the previous year.

The National Immigration Administration reported that in 2024, there were 610 million inbound and outbound trips, with around 65 million trips involving international visitors, indicating an 83% increase.

However, these figures remain below the pre-pandemic levels of 2019, when nearly 98 million of the total 670 million cross-border trips were made by foreign nationals.