Citizens can now enjoy food delivery by drone while hanging out at Shenzhen Central Park in Futian District thanks to a new drone delivery route that was launched recently.

The service, which offers speedy deliveries to customers in as little as 10 minutes, marks the first drone delivery route launched in the park.

The route starts at the UpperHills mall, which is about 2 kilometers away from the park.

After choosing from over 1,000 products and placing an order, customers will receive their goods in as little as 10 minutes.

Traditionally, delivering orders to customers within parks posed logistical challenges, often resulting in extended delivery times and occasional difficulties in locating recipients.

People watch a drone deliver food to Shenzhen Central Park in Futian District on April 30. Courtesy of the urban management authority

However, the introduction of drone delivery has revolutionized this process. Now, patrons simply need to head to the designated site within Shenzhen Central Park to pick up their deliveries.

According to the urban management authority, plans are under way to extend drone delivery services to more parks, catering to the evolving needs of citizens and further enhancing their satisfaction.

The success of drone delivery extends beyond Shenzhen Central Park, with Meituan, the internet giant behind the initiative, having launched 28 drone delivery routes across 11 shopping circles nationwide, including Shenzhen and Shanghai.

These routes cover a diverse range of locations, including office buildings, tourist hotspots, public parks, hospitals, and university campuses, with over 250,000 online orders successfully delivered by drones.

Meituan officially launched its first drone delivery route at Tsinghua University Shenzhen International Graduate School in Nanshan District last December, followed by a second campus route at Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School in March this year.