Xi'an, capital city of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, has seen a surge in inbound arrivals as entrepreneurs and exhibitors from Central Asia flocked to the city to attend the 2025 Euro-Asia Economic Forum, which opened on Tuesday.
According to the organizers, the three-day forum, committed to fostering cooperation and promoting people-to-people connectivity, has drawn representatives from political, business, and academic sectors in 40 countries, including Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
In the arrival hall of the Terminal 5 at Xianyang International Airport, many exhibitors who arrived on Sunday efficiently completed customs procedures with the assistance of airport staff. Several exhibitors said that traveling to Xi'an has become increasingly convenient.
"There are more flights now, everything is very good, and cooperation and development between China and Central Asia have also increased," said an exhibitor.
Data shows that with the continuous expansion of the international flight network, Xianyang International Airport has increased its international passenger routes to 59, connecting 52 major cities in 25 countries, including 34 destinations in 19 countries along the Belt and Road Initiative routes. The flight network now connects eight key cities including Almaty, Samarkand, Bishkek, and Shymkent, achieving full coverage of all the five Central Asian countries.
"We are a team of five, coming to Xi'an, China to attend a medical-related conference. This city has left a very good impression on us, and we have received a very friendly welcome," said another exhibitor.
Following the implementation of an initiative China and the Central Asian countries adopted in June, where they agreed to further facilitate personnel exchanges, Xi'an Port has added multiple multilingual service counters and electronic clearance channels.
In addition, China's multi-tiered facilitation policies -- including unilateral visa exemption, mutual visa exemption, and transit visa exemption -- have become a new engine driving passenger flow through the Xi'an Port.
Official data shows that since the beginning of this year, Xi'an Port has handled over 1.1 million inbound and outbound passenger trips and more than 7,800 flights, representing the year-on-year growth of 46 percent and 52 percent respectively. These include over 98,000 passenger trips and 800 flights to and from Central Asian countries.
The number of inbound passengers from Central Asia for a business purpose increased by 16 percent year on year.
Xi'an sees surge in inbound visitors as Euro-Asia Economic Forum kicks off
