Shenzhen's holiday economy is emerging; where does the growth in regional cultural tourism come from?

Ask AI · How does the influx of Hong Kong visitors promote the upgrade of Shenzhen’s consumer market structure?

Reporter Li Jinping, 21st Century Business Herald, Shenzhen Report

Want to know which city has the most foot traffic during the Qingming holiday?

Shenzhen is definitely on the list.

On April 6th, the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television, Tourism, and Sports announced the data for the three-day Qingming holiday. According to preliminary estimates, during the three days of the Qingming holiday in 2026 (April 4th to April 6th), Shenzhen received 3.22M tourists, generating 2.12 billion yuan in tourism revenue.

In fact, this is not the first time Shenzhen has delivered impressive results in holiday consumption.

According to a review by the 21st Century Business Herald, from 2025 to the present, during every holiday period nationwide, Shenzhen has achieved double-digit growth in both passenger flow and sales revenue.

Why has this city, with its outstanding performance in industry and foreign trade, suddenly become a popular area for holiday economy?

Through the performance during this Qingming holiday, the reporter found that the optimization of source markets and sufficient consumption motivation are key reasons. As one of China’s youngest cities, by 2023, Shenzhen’s resident child population reached 2.9797 million, accounting for about 16.75% of the total population, making family-oriented consumers the main force in Shenzhen’s “holiday economy.” Meanwhile, with the deepening integration of Shenzhen and Hong Kong, inbound visitors, represented by Hong Kong visitors, have also become an important force driving Shenzhen’s holiday economy.

This year’s Qingming holiday coincided with the spring break and statutory holidays for primary and secondary schools across many parts of the country, forming a long holiday of up to six days, which fully ignited the national tourism consumption enthusiasm.

Ctrip’s report shows that during this spring break and Qingming Festival, orders for family travel accounted for 37% of the total tourism orders nationwide, making family groups the core consumer group for holiday travel markets. Data from Tongcheng Travel shows that during Qingming, orders for family trips in Guangdong accounted for over 40%, an increase of 12 percentage points year-on-year. These family groups tend to stay longer and prefer in-depth travel products, effectively boosting dining, shopping, entertainment, and other comprehensive consumption.

The consumer boom driven by family travel nationwide has also extended to Shenzhen.

Theme parks, cultural and museum venues, and other cultural tourism products targeting family groups have become the first beneficiaries of this influx of visitors.

Tongcheng Travel data shows that bookings for Shenzhen Happy Valley, Window of the World, and other theme parks continued to rise, with related “hotel + ticket” package products selling out in advance. Search interest for “research and study” related products at venues like Shenzhen Museum increased by over 60% year-on-year, indicating that family groups are highly interested in “educational entertainment” experiences.

A person in charge at Shenzhen Window of the World told the 21st Century Business Herald that during the Qingming holiday, the park launched a themed event called “World Cultural Revival Season,” including an activity called “Intangible Cultural Heritage Revival: The Awakening of Nuo Opera,” which offers a modern interpretation of ancient Nuo opera from the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Dressed in masks, dancers perform a “modern Nuo opera” blending traditional and modern aesthetics, sending blessings across time and space. Daily activities like the “Shanhai Hanfu Parade” also ignited the consumer enthusiasm with distinctive cultural features, attracting 40k visitors during the holiday.

(Photo: Scene at Window of the World during Qingming, source: Window of the World)

Not only are cultural tourism landmarks bustling with visitors, but Shenzhen’s local specialty “shopping malls” have also introduced new consumption scenarios to meet the needs of family consumers. Ba’an Daqianli creates a pastoral atmosphere in the city, hosting activities like fruit and vegetable planting and farm concerts, providing warm interactive spaces for family groups. Meanwhile, combined with holiday promotions, they create new consumption scenes that blend art and local flavor. Longgang Xinghe COCO Park launched “Green Wilderness Play,” featuring a spring-themed green scene that makes visitors feel as if they’ve entered a healing forest. The UZhen Drama Festival’s giant puppet parade and family-friendly shows like “Alice in Wonderland” are also staged in rotation, heightening the fairy-tale atmosphere.

A senior observer in the family cultural tourism industry told the reporter that family travel has entered the “4.0 era,” characterized by a shift from simple sightseeing check-ins to in-depth experiences, and from price competition to value competition.

Shenzhen’s performance in this round of consumption boom is a typical example of the “Family Travel 4.0 Era.” By deeply integrating culture, education, commerce, and entertainment, Shenzhen not only successfully meets the nationwide long-term demand for family travel but also creates structural passenger flow growth through innovative products and services, injecting new momentum into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area’s cultural and tourism integration.

The expert also pointed out that three major trends are expected in the future family travel market: first, more segmented and personalized products tailored to different age groups; second, more immersive and participatory experiences emphasizing engagement and interaction; third, more professional and standardized services to improve overall industry quality.

The change in source market structure, represented by Hong Kong visitors, is also a significant factor.

In the past, during holidays, Shenzhen’s passenger flow was mainly local tourists. Now, the visitor structure has changed significantly, with Hong Kong visitors becoming one of the main sources of external visitors.

During this year’s Qingming holiday, due to the overlapping public holidays in Hong Kong, Hong Kong visitors enjoyed a five-day mini-vacation. A large number of Hong Kong residents came to Shenzhen. According to Shenzhen Border Inspection General Station, the average daily flow during the holiday is expected to reach 990k, with peaks on April 3rd and 4th, possibly breaking the historical record, with a single-day peak exceeding 1.13 million.

According to predictions from Shenzhen-Hong Kong border authorities, the daily inbound and outbound personnel at Shenzhen Luohu Port, Shenzhen Bay Port, Futian Port, West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail, Lian Tang Port, and Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport are expected to reach 250k, 190k, 230k, 120k, 110k, and 19k respectively.

(Photo: Hong Kong visitors at Luohu Port during Qingming, source: Luohu Port Entry Service Center)

Some Hong Kong residents use Shenzhen as a transit hub, returning to their hometowns for ancestor worship or traveling from Shenzhen to inland cities.

Hong Kong youth X DorSi is a popular social media blogger mainly introducing life tips in mainland China, such as dining, entertainment, electronic payments, and transportation, targeting Hong Kong residents. His videos have over 350k subscribers, 100 million views, and more than 770k followers across platforms.

He told the 21st Century Business Herald that his filming scope has expanded beyond Shenzhen and Guangzhou to include popular destinations like Beijing and Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, driven by Hong Kong people’s increasing travel to the mainland and their desire to learn more about inland cities.

Data from HopeGoo, a platform under Tongcheng Travel, shows that during Qingming, orders from Hong Kong residents for tourism products in Guangdong increased more than threefold year-on-year.

Some Hong Kong residents also regard Shenzhen as a “shopping and leisure backyard.” Shenzhen Dongmen Old Street, the most popular shopping district among Hong Kong visitors, ranked second among the city’s 12 major commercial circles last year. The area recently completed renovations and upgrades.

During the Qingming holiday, the reporter visited Dongmen and found many Hong Kong visitors. They carried backpacks, spoke Cantonese, and browsed favorite grain products at Xinbaima·Ciyuan 9th Commercial Complex. At the city’s first Miniso Land store, it was crowded with fans shopping for trendy IP products.

(Photo: Hong Kong visitors shopping at Xinbaima·Ciyuan 9th Commercial Complex, taken by Li Jinping)

Similar scenes appeared at the “2026 Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Flower Exhibition.” From March 27 to April 6, the event was held at Bijiashan Sports Park. The number of Hong Kong and Macau license plates passing through increased by 13%, boosting the surrounding Shenye Shangcheng commercial area’s foot traffic by 12% and sales by 14%. The nearby Shenzhen Wenhua Dongfang Hotel and Muji Hotel in Shenzhen were fully booked for several days, with Hong Kong consumers accounting for over 30%.

It’s worth noting that the business changes driven by this source market structure are not only captured by mainland commercial districts, which have launched related cultural tourism products, but Hong Kong visitors are also actively participating in this wave.

During the holiday, the reporter visited two new stores opened by local Hong Kong residents. Seventy percent of the customers inside were from Hong Kong.

Nadia, a seasoned financial professional from Hong Kong, opened Shenzhen’s first pet supplies store. Her store offers pet products, cat petting, grooming, and coffee, creating an experiential retail space. She explained that choosing Shenzhen as her first location was driven by her love for pets and her perception of the deepening Shenzhen-Hong Kong integration, with increasing Hong Kong visitors coming to Shenzhen for consumption.

(Photos: Entry at Luohu Port during Qingming, source: Luohu Port Entry Service Center)

Since the beginning of 2026, the Luohu Port Entry Service Center has received an average of 2-3 Hong Kong inquiries daily about starting businesses, with over 60 Hong Kong visitors having expressed clear entrepreneurial intentions.

From family-oriented tourists to the influx of Hong Kong visitors, a holiday economy driven by demographic changes is actively promoting the upgrading of Shenzhen’s consumer market.