GBA witnesses record cross-boundary traffic as summer holiday draws to a close

Vehicles line up to pass through Zhuhai Port on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, April 27, 2024. The Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge handled 19,570 vehicles on the day. (Photo: China News Service)

As the summer vacation winds down, ports across China's Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) are witnessing record-breaking cross-boundary traffic, a testament to the accelerated pace of regional integration and the robust tourism and consumption vitality spurred by the country's extensive favorable policies.

On Saturday, Hengqin Port in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, recorded a record in passenger traffic with more than 88,000 cross-boundary movements in a single day, surpassing the previous high of 86,000 from May 3, authorities of the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin told the Global Times on Sunday.

The Macao Special Administrative Region Government also reported a record 166,562 passenger arrivals on Saturday, the highest daily visitor count from July 1 to August 24 this year and up 7.5 percent compared with the peak recorded from the same period in 2019, according to official data from the Macao Government Tourism Office.

This trend underscored the rapid progress of regional integration and the appeal of the GBA region's diverse offerings such as cultural, tourism, and sporting events, which led to a significant influx of visitors, with short-haul and cross-boundary travel becoming the preferred choices for many, industry insiders said.

Vehicles line up to pass through Zhuhai Port on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, April 27, 2024. (Photo: China News Service)

In Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong Province, the General Station of Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection processed a record 972,000 travelers in a single day on Saturday, marking the ninth record-breaking day this year and the fourth during the summer season, China Media Group reported.

Ports such as Futian, Luohu, Shenzhen Bay, and Liantang all set new single-day records since the full resumption of boundary activities, reflecting the high volume of summer travel.