The first regular unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) route in Yantian was launched July 28, with its destination set to OCT East, a Grade-A national scenic spot in the eastern part of Shenzhen. The new route originates at the No. 8 Outlets Warehouse in Dameisha, which is 1.5 kilometers away from OCT East. Tourists visiting the resort can now place their orders online and have their goods delivered to the theme park via drones. Meituan currently also offers this drone delivery service for three different theme parks in Shenzhen: the OCT East resort, Splendid China and Window of the World.

The drone delivery service offers an advantage in scenic areas due to the speed, convenience and variety of choices it offers. In fact, traditional delivery services are not permitted within a scenic area, so tourists have to walk to the entrance to pick up their orders. With drone delivery, customers can simply place an order on their smartphones and receive their goods within minutes of its being prepared.

As of May 2023, Meituan’s drone delivery services was covering six commercial areas in Shenzhen and Shanghai, and has delivered more than 167,000 orders. The average time for a drone delivery is 12 minutes, which is 150% more efficient than the more traditional modes, saving users nearly 30,000 hours of waiting time. The types of goods delivered exceed 20,000, including food and drink, cosmetics and 3C products (Computer, Communication, and Consumer Electronics).

“We hope that we can cooperate with more brands, restaurants and shops to offer our customers more high-tech consumption experiences,” an employee responsible for Meituan’s UAV service said.