Shenzhen International Tourism Industry Expo

The 10th Shenzhen International Tourism Industry Expo (SITE) 2025 was successfully held from November 14 to 16, 2025, at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center (Futian). Under the guidance and support of the Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports, this edition of the expo has become an annual highlight for the tourism industry in the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area.

In terms of scale, the event spanned 22,500 square meters, bringing together over 500 exhibitors from around the world and attracting 31,275 professional visitors for on-site visits and business discussions. The expo featured ten thematic exhibition zones, including the Beautiful China Image Zone, the International Tourism Resources Zone, the Study-Tourism Resources Zone, the Tourism Technology Zone, the Smart Tourism & Transportation Zone, the Hotels, Homestays & MICE Support Services Zone, and the Cultural Tourism, Creative Industries & Intangible Cultural Heritage Zone, among others.

This year’s expo boasted a wealth of highlights, with three innovative thematic zones drawing particular attention. The Low-Altitude Cultural Tourism Zone focused on the cross-sectoral integration of “cultural tourism + low-altitude economy,” showcasing emerging formats such as drone‑based sightseeing and low‑altitude tourism. The Pet Travel Zone targeted the multi‑hundred‑billion‑yuan pet‑friendly consumer market, highlighting pet‑friendly scenic spots, hotels, and customized travel services. Meanwhile, the Global Culinary Delights Zone used gastronomy as a bridge to weave cultural and tourism experiences, gathering signature cuisines from destinations worldwide and intangible cultural heritage food workshops to create immersive culinary‑tourism settings that are both savourable, interactive, and tradeable.

Specialized exhibition zones and concurrent events offered a rich tapestry of attractions. The Shenzhen Municipal Administration and Comprehensive Law Enforcement Bureau set up a dedicated booth for the Shenzhen Hiking Trails, systematically presenting the “Mountains and Seas Connected” ecological vision, the main route layout of the “Kunpeng Trail,” and eco‑humanistic concepts such as “Leave No Trace in the Mountains” and “Handmade Trails.” An interactive Kunpeng Trail check‑in zone was also established on site, drawing numerous domestic and international visitors. On the afternoon of November 14, the “Hike Kunpeng—Enjoy Mountains and Seas” Kunpeng Trail Partner Sharing Session took place on the main stage of Hall 7 at the convention center, where several guests closely associated with the Shenzhen Hiking Trails were invited to share their stories. For the first time, the expo adopted a dual‑city linkage model between Chaling and Shenzhen, collaborating with the Chaling Zu’an Home‑Style Cuisine flagship store to host a series of activities, including intangible cultural heritage cuisine‑making demonstrations, immersive tasting experiences, and hands‑on skill‑exposure sessions, thereby elevating Chaling’s intangible cultural heritage onto a broader stage.

A strong contingent of professional visitors ensured fruitful outcomes for exhibiting companies. Leading Travel Agency (Beijing) Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Branch, participated for the second consecutive year. According to Mr. Yang, head of the Shenzhen branch, exhibiting provided an opportunity for Shenzhen’s culture‑and‑tourism enthusiasts to become acquainted with the company and its offerings, fostering confidence in the company’s promising prospects in the city. The firm’s advocacy of a “family‑style tour” model—purely recreational with no shopping—has earned widespread customer approval, with a staff‑to‑guest ratio of 1:10 and professional health‑care physicians accompanying tours lasting two days or longer, ensuring meticulous and attentive service.

The expo delivered tangible results and received enthusiastic industry feedback. Attendees generally agreed that the Shenzhen International Tourism Expo is not only an excellent platform for brand exposure and business matchmaking but also a pivotal hub for gaining insights into industry trends and exploring new avenues of growth. Concurrent with the expo, more than 30 industry forums, project‑investment matchmaking sessions, and study‑tourism resource promotion events were held, decoding emerging industry dynamics. By adopting a dual‑track strategy—“stable foundations through classic zones plus breakthroughs via specialized zones”—the expo comprehensively showcased the innovative momentum and commercial value of the tourism sector. During the event, corporate‑student pairing initiatives were also organized, injecting fresh impetus into university‑industry collaborative education and underscoring the expo’s social value in advancing industry‑education integration.