Shenzhen Airport border traffic up 50% in first Spring Festival travel week

Overview

According to the Shenzhen General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection, which released the figures on January 21, 2025, nearly 130,000 passengers passed through border checks at Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport in the first week of the Spring Festival travel season (January 14–20), a rise of 50.2% year on year. The number of international and regional flights checked reached nearly 1,300, up 45.2%. The Shenzhen Special Zone Daily reported the data on January 22.

Background

The 2025 Spring Festival fell on January 29, with a public holiday in China running from January 28 to February 4. In recent years China has eased entry and exit procedures and expanded visa exemptions, including the resumption of short-stay visa-free entry for Japanese nationals from the end of November 2024. Against this backdrop, foreign arrivals at Shenzhen's border crossings have continued to grow. Between January 1 and 12, about 32,000 foreign travellers passed through the Huanggang and Futian checkpoints, up 68% year on year, with Japan, South Korea and Singapore among the main countries of origin.

In addition, the inscription of the Spring Festival on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list was announced on December 4, 2024, further raising interest overseas. On the Shenzhen side of the border, the 24-hour Huanggang checkpoint and the conveniently located Futian checkpoint are seeing more foreign visitors travelling to Shenzhen via Hong Kong. Festive events and shopping activities in Shenzhen during the holiday also gave many foreign visitors a first-hand experience of the Chinese New Year.

Key Points

• Outbound majority: Departures made up more than 52% of the total. Over 46,000 mainland residents left the country, up 50.5%, mostly for sightseeing and family visits, with family trips and study tours accounting for nearly 30% of outbound travellers.
• Asian routes in demand: More than 66% of outbound travellers chose Asian destinations such as South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.
• More foreign arrivals: Nearly 10,000 foreign nationals entered, up 21.4%. Visa-free entries accounted for over 55% of these and rose 131% year on year.
• Additional flights: Shenzhen Airlines planned more than 1,600 extra flights during the travel season and added services to popular international tourist cities including Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh, Bangkok and Tokyo.
• Season forecast: The border authority expected about 720,000 passenger crossings at the airport over the entire travel season, roughly 35% more than a year earlier.

Another notable feature is that family trips and study tours accounted for nearly 30% of outbound travellers. Wider opportunities for students and young people to learn abroad are also significant for educational and youth exchange. As one of the popular destinations for Shenzhen travellers, Japan may attract more families and young people from Shenzhen for study tours and cultural experiences.

From the perspective of air connectivity, more international flights not only make leisure travel easier but also give business travellers more options. Stable air links between Shenzhen and Japanese cities such as Tokyo provide a basic foundation for exchange between companies in the two regions.

What It Means for Japan–Shenzhen Exchange

Japan's place among the popular Asian destinations for Shenzhen travellers, together with airlines expanding Tokyo services, appears to reflect a continuing recovery in people-to-people travel between Shenzhen and Japan. Growing visitor numbers may encourage Japan's tourism, retail and service sectors to pay closer attention to demand from South China, including Shenzhen.

Wider visa exemptions have also reduced the paperwork for Japanese business travellers visiting Shenzhen for meetings or study tours. Whether more business travel will lead to further dialogue between companies and new forms of cooperation is attracting attention.

Outlook

The travel season continues until late February, with the peak expected around the Spring Festival holiday. Whether the expanded international routes will be maintained after the season will depend on demand in the months ahead.

From the Association

People-to-people travel is the foundation of economic and cultural exchange between Shenzhen and Japan. The Association will continue to follow developments in travel between the two regions and to help create opportunities for exchange.