On August 20, the Xiamen Airport Border Inspection Station released data: From July 1 to August 19, 97,000 passengers entered Xiamen without a visa, a year-on-year increase of 148%. South Korean, Singaporean, and Malaysian tourists accounted for over 60% of the total. They shared their "72-Hour Xiamen Travel Guide" on Xiaohongshu, sending the Gulangyu Marriage Registration Center into trending searches.
As China's first "global marriage registration center," the Gulangyu Center welcomed 17 international couples upon its opening on August 16. The center offers a one-stop service featuring traditional Minnan wedding ceremonies, piano-themed wedding ceremonies, and a "buy now, get now" tax refund upon departure. Couples can choose gifts directly from the duty-free shops after obtaining their wedding permits. Kim Ji-won, a South Korean bride, said, "Combining a wedding with a trip to Xiamen is both romantic and economical."
To capitalize on this wave of "sweet traffic," Xiamen Tourism launched the "240-Hour Discover Zhongshan Road" program: International travelers with passports can enjoy late hotel check-out, free Wi-Fi, and multilingual Citywalk tour guides. The Zhonghua City Duty Free Shop has expanded and upgraded, adding 20 international beauty brands, and tax refunds can be processed in as little as three minutes.
Ctrip big data shows that searches for the keyword "Xiamen + wedding" increased 330% month-over-month in August, driving a 52% increase in overall Xiamen tourism orders. A Singaporean blogger wrote on TikTok: "Visit-free travel to Xiamen, get your marriage certificate in the morning, go diving in the afternoon, and eat satay noodles in the evening-all the major life events completed in 24 hours!"
Officials revealed that the next step will be to replicate the "wedding + tourism" model in the high mountain villages of Tongan and along the romantic route around the East China Sea, with the goal of attracting 2,000 international couples annually. Xiamen tourism is leveraging the "sweet economy" to showcase Chinese-style romance and efficiency to the world.