Record traffic at HZMB during National Day holiday

The Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) experienced a surge in traffic over the weekend, marking a new daily record since its opening in 2018.

On Saturday alone, over 20,000 vehicles crossed the bridge in both directions, according to official figures.

This spike in activity coincided with the week-long National Day holiday (Golden Week), during which there were more than 500,000 passenger entries, according to official statistics.

From Tuesday to Saturday, 93,000 vehicles used the Zhuhai port, Chinese authorities noted.

These numbers reflect increases of over 34% for passengers and more than 56% for vehicles compared to the same period last year.

Notably, vehicles registered in Macau and Hong Kong surpassed 56,000, indicating a 73% rise year-on-year, according to a China Daily report.

Border inspection officials attribute this trend to a growing preference among families from Hong Kong and Macau for weekend trips to mainland cities.

This surge not only highlights a renewed interest in cross-border travel but also poses challenges for local retailers and restaurateurs who are grappling with increased demand.

Spanning 55 kilometers, the HZMB is the world’s longest bridge-and-tunnel sea crossing, connecting Hong Kong, Macau, and Zhuhai in Guangdong province.

Since its inauguration in 2018, it has facilitated significant cross-border movement.

This year alone, more than 20 million passengers have traversed the Zhuhai port, exceeding the total number for all last year.

As travel returns to pre-pandemic levels, officials are closely monitoring traffic flows at various checkpoints to ensure smooth operations. Nadia Shaw