Greater Bay Area cross-border travel trends

Cross-border travel and tourism in the Greater Bay Area have experienced significant growth through expanded infrastructure and seasonal demand.

In Hong Kong, high-speed rail ridership reached a record high in the first half of 2026, with over 16 million passengers. To support this, authorities upgraded facilities at West Kowloon station and increased train frequency to mainland stations. Additionally, the “Easy Parking” programme was introduced to allow drivers from Guangdong and Macau to use the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge and transfer to public transport.

During the summer peak season, the Kongpei Port connecting Zhuhai and Macau reported a surge in travelers. Approximately 850,000 passenger crossings were recorded in a single week, driven by cultural tourism and consumption promotion events in Macau. This influx caused heavy crowds and increased pressure on customs processes, with peak departure times occurring between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM and return travel peaking between 4:00 PM and 9:00 PM.

To address transit demands, authorities began implementing new facilitation measures on August 18, 2026. The Zhuhai Border Inspection Station is optimizing a “cooperative inspection, one-time release” model at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Hengqin, and Qingmao ports. These updates allow Hong Kong and Macau residents greater flexibility in using identification documents. Furthermore, the expansion of expedited channels now includes foreigners and Taiwan residents at the Hengqin port. In Shenzhen, the upcoming New Huanggang Port is expected to utilize similar “one-stop” models to reduce transit times from 30 minutes to approximately 5 minutes, potentially supporting daily passenger flows of up to 500,000 people.