Shenzhen airport sees 32% rise in travellers from APEC economies

Overview

On 7 August 2026, the Shenzhen Airport Border Inspection Station announced that 850,000 trips by foreign travellers from APEC member economies passed through Shenzhen Airport's port in January-July 2026, up 32% year on year. They accounted for nearly 80% of all foreign travellers at the airport, a record for the period.

In the same period, the airport handled 1.1 million foreign passenger trips in total, up 32%, from 190 countries and regions, also a record. China News Service reported the figures the same day.

Background

The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting is scheduled to be held in Shenzhen on 18-19 November 2026, under the theme "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together". China holds the APEC chair in 2026, and ministerial meetings and related events have been held in cities across the country.

The report attributed the growth in foreign travellers to the expansion of China's visa-free arrangements and the promotion of travel to China overseas. For Japanese nationals, China has applied a short-stay visa exemption since November 2024.

A day earlier, on 6 August, a three-day media tour titled "Meet in Shenzhen, Witness Miracles" began, showcasing the city's cultural development ahead of the APEC meeting. Participants visited the Shenzhen International Art Museum, which opened on 30 May 2026 and has received more than 250,000 visitors, and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum, with exhibits on 6G, brain science and humanoid robots. The science museum has 950 exhibits aligned with Shenzhen's "20+8" strategic industrial clusters. The tour also featured the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theatre, whose original dance drama Yong Chun was performed in Andong, South Korea, on 31 July and 1 August as part of APEC China Year events, with tickets selling out immediately; the production is also due to be staged in Shenzhen during the APEC meeting.

Key Points

• Travellers from APEC economies: 850,000 trips in January-July, up 32%, nearly 80% of foreign travellers.
• All foreign travellers: 1.1 million trips, up 32%, from 190 countries and regions.
• Main origins: South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Russia ranked near the top.
• Air network: Shenzhen Airport has direct passenger flights to 15 APEC economies. After adding routes to Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia, it plans more than 300 weekly flights between Shenzhen and APEC economies.
• Facilitation: border officers use zoned inspection by passenger type, an optimised online arrival card with multilingual prompts and additional smart translation devices.
• Traveller feedback: a passenger from Singapore said entry took less than five minutes, and a Vietnamese participant in the APEC forestry ministerial meeting on 31 July said clearance was quick and smooth.

Implications for Japan-Shenzhen Exchange

Japan is also an APEC member economy, and international interest in Shenzhen as host of the leaders' meeting is expected to grow further. The announcement did not give a figure for Japanese travellers, but smoother border procedures and stronger multilingual services are likely to benefit Japanese visitors travelling to Shenzhen for business or tourism.

As transport, accommodation and multilingual services are upgraded for the international meeting, expectations are rising that opportunities will widen for Japanese corporate study visits, business meetings, and cultural and youth exchanges. Whether the expansion of the airport's route network will also benefit travel between Shenzhen and Japan is another point to watch. On the cultural side, new landmarks such as the art museum and the science museum offer Japanese visitors and exchange groups fresh windows onto the city.

Outlook

On 10 August the meeting entered its 100-day countdown, and preparations in Shenzhen are moving into full swing, including the opening of a comprehensive service centre for inbound passengers at the airport. Details of the meeting's agenda and related events are yet to be announced.

From the Association

The Association will continue to follow Shenzhen's preparations for the APEC leaders' meeting and the state of international exchange, and will strive to provide information and opportunities that further deepen people-to-people ties between Japan and Shenzhen.