Airport offers free city tours to overseas transit passengers

Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport has launched a free city tour service for overseas passengers with layovers of more than six hours, allowing them to experience the city’s cultural heritage and urban vitality while in transit.

Participants in the first free transit tour organized for overseas passengers pose for a group photo during their half-day visit to Shenzhen on Aug. 7. Yan Wenting

The service is available to overseas passengers connecting through the airport on a variety of inbound and outbound flights. Passengers can reserve a tour online by scanning a QR code on the official website of their airline.

International travelers must hold a valid visa or be citizens of countries eligible for China’s 240-hour visa-free transit policy. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China currently allows citizens of 50 countries to enter visa-free under its unilateral visa exemption policy and offers 240-hour visa-free transit to travelers from 55 countries.

The program features two itineraries lasting four to six hours. One is a half-day tour of Nantou Ancient Town and nearby coastal parks. The other showcases waterfront scenery in the Shenzhen Bay area.

Overseas travelers explore Shenzhen during a free city tour offered to passengers with extended layovers at Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport on Aug. 7. Song Lu

The first group of participants included 17 tourists who arrived in Shenzhen from Bangkok, Thailand, last Friday. They visited Nantou Ancient Town, Shenzhen Talent Park, OH Bay and the “Eyes of the GBA.”

Several passengers said the tours transformed what could have been tedious layovers into memorable experiences.

Since the beginning of the year, the airport has recorded 567,000 inbound foreign travelers, a 31.3% increase from the same period last year. Travelers from APEC member economies accounted for 446,000 of those arrivals, or 78.7% of the total, representing a 29.6% year-on-year increase and a record high for the period. Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore were among the top sources of visitors.

With the APEC summit approaching and passenger traffic expected to grow, the airport has increased flight frequencies to Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia. More than 300 scheduled flights now operate each week between Shenzhen and APEC member economies.

The airport currently offers direct passenger routes to 15 APEC member economies.