KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — Hungry tourists exploring the Great Wall of China can now have their lunch delivered by drone, courtesy of Meituan’s newest service.

According to CNN, Meituan, the Chinese food delivery giant, has introduced Beijing’s first drone delivery service, making it possible for visitors at the Great Wall to receive everything from food and drinks to medical supplies, no matter how remote their location is.

With China’s rapidly expanding drone industry — it is already the world’s largest manufacturer and exporter of civilian consumer drones — this delivery service is rather apt and takes convenience to the next level especially in hard-to-reach rural areas, CNN reported.

The Great Wall drone route stretches from a nearby hotel rooftop to a watchtower on the southern extension of Badaling, the most visited section of the vast fortifications winding across northern China. Opened last year, this extension has maintained the wall’s crumbling state and often endures scorching summer heat, with no commercial facilities in sight.

That’s where drones come to the rescue, Yan Yan, Meituan’s public affairs director for the drone business told CNN.

"Through drones, we can make trips that take 50 minutes on foot in five minutes and deliver heat relief items and emergency supplies to visitors,” she was quoted as saying.

Meituan stated that the drones can operate in moderate wind and rain conditions, with a payload capacity of up to 2.3 kilograms per trip.

According to the state-run Beijing Youth Daily, the drone delivery fee is only 4 yuan (RM2.45), matching the cost of regular Meituan deliveries. The service is available from 10am to 4pm, after which the drones will switch gears and transport trash to recycling stations.

But of course, it’s not all just machines.

Once an order is placed, a Meituan worker picks it up from a nearby store and brings it to the rooftop of a hotel near the Badaling section of the Great Wall. There, it’s weighed, packaged, and attached to a drone by an operator.

The drone then flies on autopilot to the watchtower, where another worker is ready to receive it. Customers then pick up their package from the watchtower worker.

CNN reported that drone delivery services have soared in China in recent times.

In 2016, e-commerce giant JD kicked off the first trial of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for rural deliveries. These drones, capable of carrying up to 15kg and flying up to 20km, cut delivery times from four hours on winding mountain roads to just under 20 minutes, said state-run news agency Xinhua.

These drones are also becoming a popular choice for quick takeout in China’s bustling cities with Meituan launching its first drone delivery in Shenzhen in 2021 and now manages over 30 drone routes across various cities. These routes have fulfilled more than 300,000 orders, including in the financial hub of Shanghai.

CNN reported that while these drones follow set routes from their usual rooftop launch sites, you won’t see them hovering outside your apartment or office windows. Your orders are instead, delivered to pick-up points, namely kiosks near residential or office buildings, where you can then pick them up.

It was reported that last year, Meituan has set up pick-up kiosks for drone deliveries in public parks in both Shanghai and Shenzhen.

The growth of drone delivery services is part of the government’s push to develop the "low-altitude economy”, which includes various businesses involving manned and unmanned aerial vehicles operating below 1,000 metres. This "low-altitude economy” was first recognised as a new growth driver for the Chinese economy in the central government’s work report in March.