Shenzhen airport inaugurates service center for intl. arrivals

Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport has launched a new integrated service center for inbound passengers, aiming to provide a seamless, one-stop arrival experience for international travelers.

At 9:32 a.m. on the day of the launch, a passenger arriving from Mexico City on a China Southern Airlines flight, identified as Esteban, became one of the first travelers to use the facility. He approached the service desk to inquire about entry policies and flight transfers.

“This is my second time visiting China,” Esteban said. “At the service center, I gained a deeper understanding of the entry policies and the city of Shenzhen. The information on travel discounts and transportation routes is particularly helpful for planning the rest of my trip.”

Located at the front of the international arrival hall at the Shenzhen airport, the new center integrates resources from multiple sectors, including border control, airport operations, commerce, tourism, transportation, telecommunications, and exhibitions and conventions. It offers a wide range of services, such as travel itinerary planning, cultural and tourism promotion, assistance with mobile communications and local payment setup, explanations of entry and exit policies, and emergency medical aid.

The launch of the new service center comes amid a significant surge in international travel through Shenzhen. According to data from the Shenzhen Airport Border Inspection Station, the airport has served over 4.22 million inbound and outbound passengers so far this year, marking a 6.5% year-on-year increase and setting a record high for the period.

Fueled by China’s expanding visa-free policies and the upcoming APEC meetings, foreign visitor arrivals have remained consistently high.

“So far this year, we have seen 567,000 inbound foreign nationals pass through the airport checkpoint, representing a 31.3% increase year on year," said Hong Libo, deputy head of the first duty team at the Shenzhen Airport Border Inspection Station. "Among them, 446,000 travelers were from APEC member economies, accounting for 78.7% of the total and marking a record-high year-on-year increase of 29.6%. Travelers from Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore rank among the top sources,” he said.

To accommodate the growing influx of travelers ahead of the APEC meetings hosted by Shenzhen, the Shenzhen airport has increased flight frequencies to countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Currently, the airport operates direct passenger routes to 15 APEC member economies, with over 300 scheduled flights per week.

“To ensure smooth customs clearance, we have implemented a partitioned inspection system, optimized the online entry registration system for foreign arrivals, and added multi-language assistance features to make the entry process faster and more convenient,” Hong added.