Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge receives over 10 million passenger trips

Editor︰By Ivy Cin

The trend of Hong Kong residents "going north" to the Mainland continues, and Mainland tourists "going south" to Hong Kong and Macao maintain a high level of enthusiasm.

From January to May this year(2024), the number of inbound and outbound passenger trips passing through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) continued to grow rapidly, setting records on multiple occasions. 

Over 10 million inbound and outbound passengers

Data from the the border inspection division of the HZMB Exit and Entry Frontier Inspection Station shows that as of 9:40 AM on May 21, 2024, the number of inbound and outbound passenger trips passing through the HZMB at Zhuhai Port exceeded 10 million, an increase of 127.7% year-on-year. This milestone was achieved four months ahead of schedule compared to last year.

Among the 10 million passengers, 6.025 million were from Hong Kong and Macao, a year-on-year increase of 126.3%, accounting for 60.4% of the total passenger trips at the border control point. This indicates that the continual increase of Hong Kong and Macao residents "going north" is a major factor in the rapid growth of passenger flow at the border control point.

In addition, with the implementation of the "Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles" and "Northbound Travel for Macao Vehicles" policies, more and more residents from Hong Kong and Macao are driving to the Mainland through the HZMB. According to statistics, the number of single-license plate vehicles from Hong Kong and Macao has exceeded 1.095 million, with a monthly growth rate of over 10%.

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The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge promote the development of the Greater Bay Area. (Web Image)

During weekends and holidays, the average daily passenger and vehicle flow at the Zhuhai port reaches 61,000 and 16,100 respectively, which is 1.5 times and 1.3 times the usual daily figures. The port has seen the highest single-day passenger flow exceeding 144,000 and the highest single-day vehicle flow surpassing 19,500. Both figures are new historical highs and have set records four times

Notably, many of the passengers are young people. According to the official in charge of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge border control point, the number of Hong Kong tourists aged 22 and under has shown a significant increase. Their proportion among all Hong Kong passengers rose from 9% in 2023 to 14% in 2024, exceeding 550,000 in total and representing a 500% increase.

Over 1.9 million Mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong and Macao

While the trend of "going north" is hot, "going south" is equally bustling. So far this year, more than 1.9 million Mainland tourists have come to Hong Kong and Macao with travel visas, a year-on-year increase of 130%. The enthusiasm of the Mainland for Hong Kong and Macao tours remains high, and the multi-stop tours offered by the HZMB have become a key factor driving the growth of passenger flow.

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More and more residents from Hong Kong and Macao are driving to the Mainland via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. (Web Image)

Besides the residents of Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, there is also increasing frequency of foreign individuals using the bridge.

Since this year, the National Immigration Administration has implemented 5 measures to facilitate foreign nationals coming to China and has enlarged the scope of visa-exempt countries.

As the only port in the Mainland with a direct land route to Hong Kong International Airport, over 158,000 foreign visitors have come for business exchanges and sightseeing through the HZMB, an increase of 412.6% compared to the previous year. Out of these, over 600 were foreign tour groups, a year-on-year increase of 300%.

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