The twice-yearly Canton Fair is back at full pre-pandemic strength, attracting a record 288,938 overseas buyers from 219 countries and regions in spring 2025 to 3.6 million square feet of indoor exhibition halls at the Pazhou complex, cementing a #1 Convention Center ranking. Retail is equally abuzz, with the #9 Shopping ranking feeling right as Taikoo Hui, Parc Central and K11 roll out refreshed flagships and chef-driven food halls; and riverfront districts light up nightly, feeding the city’s Top 10 Instagram buzz.
On the plate, Guangzhou’s #15 Restaurants pedigree shows in next-gen teahouses and 21 Michelin-starred Cantonese kitchens. Curtain time is robust, too: the Zaha Hadid-designed Guangzhou Opera House, the Xinghai Concert Hall and the stages on Haixinsha Island keep the #15-ranked Theaters & Concerts scene lively. Business fundamentals are also strong, with Nansha’s free-trade zone and Sino-Singapore Guangzhou Knowledge City continuing to deliver R&D parks and headquarter space. Baiyun International Airport’s ongoing airfield and terminal upgrades sharpen global access, while new metro and intercity rail segments slated through the rest of the decade will tighten links to Foshan, Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Shenzhen across the Greater Bay Area.