Surge in mainland-SARs tourism drives traffic records on sea bridge

The significant two-way surge in tourism between residents of the Chinese mainland and those from Hong Kong and Macao during Spring Festival increased vehicular traffic levels on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to record highs for three consecutive days.

Its single-day vehicular traffic surpassed 27,000 trips on Thursday, then reached 27,100 on Friday and 29,500 on Saturday, continuously breaking records for the world's longest sea-crossing bridge, which opened in 2018.

Data from Guangdong province's transportation department shows that during the first seven days of the nine-day Spring Festival holiday, spanning from Feb 15 to Monday, the bridge recorded over 161,000 vehicle trips, marking a year-on-year increase of over 20 percent.

During the festival, vehicles from Hong Kong traveling north made up over half of the bridge's total traffic. On Saturday, this figure exceeded 15,300 trips, setting a new single-day record for the cross-boundary traffic program launched in 2023.

To promote people-to-people exchanges within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, single-license vehicles from Hong Kong and Macao have been permitted to enter Guangdong province via the bridge since 2023.

A similar program was launched in late 2025, allowing single-license vehicles from the mainland to enter Hong Kong's urban areas.

This year's Spring Festival marked the first long holiday since the implementation of the latest program, which facilitates Guangdong vehicles heading south.

Many Guangdong residents drove to Hong Kong with their families to experience a different festive atmosphere.

A Guangzhou resident surnamed Wang booked a quota to drive to Hong Kong via the bridge two weeks in advance. This was the first time he was traveling to the city by car, and he said this transportation method offers greater flexibility for those traveling with family members.

The wide variety of festival events in Guangdong also attracted a large number of Hong Kong and Macao residents, who drove north to visit family and enjoy short trips.

Since Feb 15, the bridge has recorded over 372,000 trips made by residents from the two special administrative regions.

The bridge, which is an engineering marvel, offers stunning sea views and attracts tourists from across the country. According to immigration authorities, the number of travelers participating in the HZMB tour reached 10,000 during the holiday.

Gary Zhang Xinyu, former chairman of the rail transport subcommittee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Legislative Council, said the increase in the HZMB's traffic volume during the Spring Festival holiday has been "remarkably significant, even somewhat unexpected".

He said it demonstrates the tremendous potential for two-way travel between the mainland and Hong Kong/Macao residents, as well as the substantial impact of vehicle movement facilitation policies on stimulating travel demand and reshaping tourism models.

Zhang added that greater efforts to implement smart clearance solutions for personnel and vehicles using the bridge will further enhance the travel experience and better realize the bridge's value as a crucial piece of cross-boundary infrastructure.