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Shenzhen received 8.947 million visitors during the 2025 Spring Festival holiday (January 28–February 4), up 8.3%, with tourism revenue up 12.5% to 9.885 billion yuan, according to the city's culture and tourism bureau. Japan was among the top ten source countries for inbound visitors.
Overview
On February 4, 2025, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports released tourism figures for the Spring Festival holiday, which ran for eight days from January 28 to February 4. The city received 8.947 million visitors, up 8.3% year on year, and tourism revenue rose 12.5% to 9.885 billion yuan. Average spending per visitor was 1,104.86 yuan, up 3.9%. The Shenzhen municipal government published the figures on February 5.
Background
The 2025 Spring Festival holiday was eight days long, one day longer than in 2024. In December 2024 the Spring Festival was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, raising interest abroad. Wider visa exemptions have increased the number of visitors to China, and during the holiday Shenzhen organised nearly 600 discount promotions involving more than 100 companies to stimulate spending.
During the 2024 Spring Festival holiday, Shenzhen received 8.2596 million visitors and earned 8.787 billion yuan in tourism revenue, so both indicators rose in 2025. Room revenue at star-rated hotels reached 44.275 million yuan; 3,938 accommodation providers joined online travel platforms and offered 1,729 hotel packages. Average spending was 604.48 yuan for day-trippers and 2,663.12 yuan for overnight visitors.
Key Points
| Item | Result | Year on year |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors | 8.947 million | +8.3% |
| Tourism revenue | 9.885 billion yuan | +12.5% |
| Spending per visitor | 1,104.86 yuan | +3.9% |
| Visits to major attractions | 2.8578 million | +1.8% |
| Guests at star-rated hotels | 108,100 | +14.42% |
- Inbound tourism: According to Trip.com (Ctrip) data, Shenzhen ranked first among domestic destinations for inbound travellers. The top ten source countries were South Korea, the United States, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Russia, Australia and France.
- Cross-border travel: According to the Shenzhen government, land checkpoints between Shenzhen and Hong Kong handled 3.384 million crossings from New Year's Eve to the fourth day of the new year (January 28–February 1), up 9.3%, including 35,000 by foreign travellers, up 37.3%. Foreign arrivals at the airport exceeded 4,000, up 40.7%.
- Satisfaction: Visitors rated Shenzhen's tourism services at 8.87 out of 10, higher than the previous year.
Spending within the city was also lively. From New Year's Eve to the fourth day of the holiday, the Shenzhen Metro carried 16.777 million passengers, up 8.5%, and cinema box office takings reached 90.687 million yuan, up 44.0%. During the post-holiday return period (February 1–5), 1.86 million passengers arrived in Shenzhen, up 9.1%, and 1.734 million departed, up 5.6%.
More inbound visitors also mean greater demand for multilingual services, easier mobile payments and acceptance of overseas bank cards. Shenzhen's efforts to improve these services offer useful lessons for enhancing the experience of foreign visitors.
What It Means for Japan–Shenzhen Exchange
Japan's presence among the leading source countries for inbound visitors suggests that Shenzhen, best known as a business city, is also gaining attention from Japanese travellers as a tourist destination. Experiences distinctive to Shenzhen, such as visits to technology companies, the cityscape and local food, are drawing interest.
The growth of Shenzhen's consumer market also offers useful reference points for Japan's retail, food service and hospitality industries. Attention is turning to how two-way travel will expand in terms of both tourism and consumption.
Another question to watch is whether continued growth in inbound tourism will lead to deeper exchange in the form of business visits, exhibitions and investment.
For Japanese visitors in particular, greater convenience in payments and travel within Shenzhen may make the city easier to combine with business trips, opening further opportunities for exchange.
Outlook
Shenzhen is continuing to improve its environment for inbound visitors, but specific further measures and full-year statistics are yet to be announced.
From the Association
Mutual understanding through tourism is an important pillar of exchange between Shenzhen and Japan. The Association will continue to share information on travel between the two regions and to help create opportunities for exchange.
This article is based on publicly available information and is provided for reference only; accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed.