The bridgehead of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (drone photos) taken on January 31, 2025. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Li Zhaode)

Xinhua News Agency, Guangzhou, May 5 (Reporter Wang Haoming) Set a five-year high and set a new historical record... During the May Day holiday, Zhuhai, Guangdong, a city connecting Hong Kong and Macao by land, the inbound and outbound passenger flow at multiple ports set a historical record. Mainland residents are enthusiastic about traveling to Hong Kong and Macao, and Hong Kong and Macao residents' "north" mainland tours continue to heat up, and the number of holidays in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is surging.

On May 2, the major ports connecting Hong Kong and Macao in Zhuhai, Guangdong, ushered in the peak of cross-border travel entry and exit. The Zhuhai Border Inspection General Station inspected the inbound and exit passenger flow of 823,000, setting a new historical record.

On the same day, the number of inbound and outbound personnel traveling between Guangdong and Macao through Zhuhai Gongbei Port reached 438,800, setting a record for the highest daily passenger flow in five years.

At Hengqin Port, the number of inbound and outbound personnel reached 104,000 and 128,000 on May 1 and 2, respectively, setting a record high for two consecutive days.

On May 4, there were more than 27,000 inbound and outbound vehicles passing through the Zhuhai Highway Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, of which 26,000 passenger cars were shipped, and the number of "Hong Kong vehicles heading north" exceeded 15,000. All three data broke the highest single-day historical record of the port.

"This holiday, passengers are enthusiastic about traveling, with large passenger flow at the port and dense peaks." He Caigen, director of the Border Inspection Department of Zhuhai Border Inspection General Station, said.

This year's May Day holiday, cultural and tourism activities in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao are densely packed. Coupled with customs clearance convenience measures such as "Hong Kong car north", "Macao car north", and "one trip a week", cross-border tourism is becoming a new fashion for residents of the Greater Bay Area.

Data provided by the Zhuhai Border Inspection General Station shows that on May 2, the Zhuhai Border Inspection inspected a total of 169,000 mainland residents traveling abroad, and 133,000 Hong Kong and Macao residents traveling abroad, an increase of 60% and 43% year-on-year respectively.

With the in-depth implementation of the policies of "Hong Kong car north" and "Hong Kong car north" and the continuous optimization of customs clearance procedures by border inspection and customs departments, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge has become a popular channel for Hong Kong and Macao residents to drive their own cars.

Data from the border inspection station of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge showed that from May 1 to 3, the station inspected more than 348,000 inbound and outbound passengers and 68,000 vehicles, an increase of 54.2% and 39.8% year-on-year respectively.

The weekends on May 3 and 4 are connected to the public holidays on Hong Kong and Macao on the 5th. A large number of Hong Kong and Macao residents take advantage of the short holiday to "go north" to experience the lively atmosphere of the Mainland's "May Day" holiday.

Around 10:00 on May 3, Mr. Zhu, the driver of the "Hong Kong Car Going North", took his family to clear the customs through the port. "The expressway is free, and it has been raining a lot recently. Self-driving clearance is the best choice." Mr. Zhu told reporters that they plan to drive to Qingyuan and go to scenic spots such as Gulongxia and Bijiashan.

During the May Day holiday, the number of Hong Kong and Macao residents who drive to "go north" to mainland China for tourism consumption and visit relatives and friends continues to increase. Data provided by the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Border Inspection Station shows that three days before the May Day holiday, the number of inbound and outbound passenger cars inspected by the border inspection station exceeded 64,000, of which 45,000 were single-licensed cars in Hong Kong and Macao, an increase of about 48.4% over the weekdays.

At the same time, mainland residents' "going south" to Hong Kong and Macao tourism has also become popular.

According to the border inspection department, the May Day holiday is the peak season for mainland residents to travel to Hong Kong and Macao. The convenience of customs clearance of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge "one bridge connects three places", coupled with the magnificent scenery across the Lingdingyang, makes it an important channel for mainland tourists to travel across borders. Data shows that from May 1 to 3, more than 153,000 passengers entering and leaving the mainland were inspected by the border inspection station of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, of which 85,000 passengers with tourist visas were entitled to customs clearance, an increase of 54.6% and 45.4% year-on-year respectively.

At 7:50 on May 3, the Zhuhai Highway Port Tourism Inspection Hall had not been opened and the lobby was lined up outside the lobby. Chen Kunfeng, a tour guide from Zhuhai, was taking 80 group members to Hong Kong.

"We are a four-day tour route. We opened Ping Chikan and Zhuhai Doumen in Guangdong two days ago. Today we set off for Hong Kong and Macao via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. This multi-city tour route in the Greater Bay Area is very popular. During the May Day holiday, we can send five to six tours every day, with a total of more than a thousand people." Chen Kunfeng said.