WITH the summer travel season in full swing, Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport is experiencing a wave of inbound and outbound passengers. Between July 1 and Aug. 7, the airport handled over 700,000 cross-border travelers, a 13.4% year-on-year increase. Outbound travel has been particularly strong, with more than 264,000 Chinese mainland residents departing via the airport, up 10% compared with the same period last year. The top three international destinations were Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand. The airport has also welcomed a significant increase in international visitors, driven in part by China’s visa-free policies. Over 127,000 international travelers passed through the airport during the summer travel period, a 32.3% increase year on year. Notably, visa-free entries accounted for nearly 60% of all international arrivals, surging by 145.3%. The number of travelers from the Middle East, Europe, and the U.S. showed particularly strong growth. To meet rising demand, the Shenzhen airport has added or increased flights to popular destinations such as Dubai, Malé in the Maldives, and Siem Reap in Cambodia. By late August, new routes to Yangon in Myanmar and Chiang Mai in Thailand are expected to launch. (Wang Jingli) | 