China’s largest inbound-tourism marketplace since the pandemic—the Shenzhen International Tourism Industry Expo—closed on 14 November with contracts worth a record US$800 million, up 25 % on last year. The three-day show drew exhibitors from 30 countries and, tellingly, the most valuable deals targeted new charter flights and tech-enabled cultural experiences aimed at foreign visitors taking advantage of China’s expanding visa-free access.
A data wall at the National Immigration Administration booth showed that inbound flight bookings for the first half of 2026 are already 128 % of 2019 levels, attributing the surge directly to China’s decision to waive visas for 54 nationalities and to expand the 240-hour transit-visa programme to 65 ports. Airlines at the expo inked letters of intent for ten new charter routes, including Shenzhen–Chiang Mai and Shenzhen–Athens, timed to capture peak travel demand around next year’s Spring Festival.
![Shenzhen Tourism Expo seals US$800 million in deals as visa-free boom lifts inbound demand]()
Technology for smoother border crossings was a central theme. Guangdong Customs demonstrated a pilot “face-and-fingerprint” dual-channel system that processes travellers in under one second, while airlines showed off app-based pre-clearance tools that dovetail with the National Immigration Administration’s online arrival-card platform launching 20 November.
For mobility and relocation professionals, the take-away is clear: South China—already home to many Asia-Pacific headquarters—is likely to see continued pressure on hotel occupancy, serviced-apartment inventory and airport capacity. Procurement teams should lock in corporate rates early for 2026 projects, and travel managers may wish to steer assignees through Shenzhen Bay or West Kowloon land crossings, which now fall under the expanded 240-hour visa-free transit list.
Local authorities are capitalising on the momentum. Shenzhen’s culture-and-tourism bureau confirmed that 12 Greater Bay Area ports now offer full 240-hour visa-free transit coverage. The city also plans to subsidise at least three long-haul routes in 2026 where load factors reach 75 %—funding that could reshape airline network planning in favour of the Pearl River Delta.
A data wall at the National Immigration Administration booth showed that inbound flight bookings for the first half of 2026 are already 128 % of 2019 levels, attributing the surge directly to China’s decision to waive visas for 54 nationalities and to expand the 240-hour transit-visa programme to 65 ports. Airlines at the expo inked letters of intent for ten new charter routes, including Shenzhen–Chiang Mai and Shenzhen–Athens, timed to capture peak travel demand around next year’s Spring Festival.
Technology for smoother border crossings was a central theme. Guangdong Customs demonstrated a pilot “face-and-fingerprint” dual-channel system that processes travellers in under one second, while airlines showed off app-based pre-clearance tools that dovetail with the National Immigration Administration’s online arrival-card platform launching 20 November.
For mobility and relocation professionals, the take-away is clear: South China—already home to many Asia-Pacific headquarters—is likely to see continued pressure on hotel occupancy, serviced-apartment inventory and airport capacity. Procurement teams should lock in corporate rates early for 2026 projects, and travel managers may wish to steer assignees through Shenzhen Bay or West Kowloon land crossings, which now fall under the expanded 240-hour visa-free transit list.
Local authorities are capitalising on the momentum. Shenzhen’s culture-and-tourism bureau confirmed that 12 Greater Bay Area ports now offer full 240-hour visa-free transit coverage. The city also plans to subsidise at least three long-haul routes in 2026 where load factors reach 75 %—funding that could reshape airline network planning in favour of the Pearl River Delta.
