Photo: Nanfang Plus
According to the Zhuhai General Station of Exit-Entry Frontier Inspection, more than 41 million passenger trips were recorded at Gongbei, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Hengqin and Qingmao ports from July 1 to Aug 31. The station also inspected more than 2.5 million inbound and outbound vehicles, vessels and aircraft.
The surge was driven in part by measures facilitating travel among Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, including expanded cross-border vehicle schemes and more flexible travel permits. The wider implementation of smart immigration clearance has also helped improve clearance efficiency.
Hengqin Port recorded about 6.4 million passenger trips during the summer, a year-on-year increase of 26 percent. Daily passenger flow exceeded 100,000 on 37 days during the period.
Gongbei Port handled nearly 22 million passenger trips, including about 2.8 million trips by travelers using tourism endorsements to travel between Zhuhai and Macao, an increase of nearly 15 percent from a year earlier.
The Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge recorded about 5.6 million passenger trips. Hong Kong and Macao residents accounted for more than 3.2 million, or nearly 60 percent of the total.
Meanwhile, the number of foreign travelers entering and leaving through ports within Zhuhai and Hengqin has also continued to increase. More than 1.46 million exit-entry trips by foreign nationals have been recorded so far this year, a year-on-year increase of 23 percent. More than 310,000 foreign nationals entered through the two areas under visa-free arrangements or with an APEC Business Travel Card, accounting for more than one-fifth of all foreign nationals entering through the ports.
Reporter: Zeng Xiangxing
