Shenzhen’s border gates have never been busier.
Newly released data from the Shenzhen government reveals that a staggering 130 million border crossings were recorded in the first half of 2025—a 16.2% increase year-on-year.
Of particular note, foreign nationals made 3.43 million crossings, a whopping 39.2% rise that officials say is driving overall growth.
The reasons?
Cross-border consumption continues to boom, especially with Hongkongers heading north in record numbers.
Adding fuel to the retail fire, Shenzhen just designated two new land ports—Futian and Shenzhen Bay—as tax refund exit points, bringing the total to five refund-enabled ports, including Luohu (Wenjindu
文锦渡), Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport, and Shekou Cruise Homeport—the highest number in mainland China.
The government is also going big on infrastructure, expanding tax refund zones in commercial districts near checkpoints and working to make Dongmen Pedestrian Street (东门步行街) the first dedicated duty-free shopping street in the Greater Bay Area.
Digital improvements are coming too, with plans to integrate Alipay HK and WeChat Pay HK into the e-tax refund system to ensure seamless experiences for travelers.
Image via Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport
Among all checkpoints, Shenzhen Airport stands out, handling 720,000 foreign passengers in six months—up 52% year-on-year.
Top nationalities include travelers from Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, and Thailand.
More than 210,000 entries came via China’s visa-free policies, marking a sharp 154% increase.
The airport also saw more than 30,000 inbound and outbound flights, up 24%, and now hosts 45 international routes with 760 weekly passenger flights.
Looking ahead, more destinations are in the pipeline.
New and resumed routes to Dubai, Malé, Phnom Penh, and Siem Reap are set to launch soon, pushing the airport’s international reach to over 50 cities by year-end.
And with the summer rush underway, Shenzhen Airport’s border control expects to process over 1.25 million crossings, a 21% jump from last year.
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[Cover image via Shenzhen General Station of Immigration Inspection]
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