Will Huanggang Port opening boost spending at Shenzhen’s border retail shops?

Retail businesses in Shenzhen are gearing up for the imminent opening of the revamped Huanggang Port at the border Hong Kong shares with mainland China, but some fear the area still lacks commercial appeal to make travellers stay.

After six years of redevelopment, the expanded checkpoint is due to open on October 12, according to a source. It will adopt the “joint inspection” model for immigration clearance, which is expected to cut the previous clearance time from about 30 minutes to five minutes.

Authorities have said the port will initially be able to handle 100,000 passenger trips a day, with capacity potentially rising to 300,000 in the future.

The Bosen Dental clinic opened a new branch across from the new facility in August. Its other branches are also located near border crossings such as Futian and Liantang, as well as one near Shenzhen North railway station.