The Hengqin Port in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province saw growing cross-border trips on Saturday, the first day of the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday.
Also known as the Duanwu Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth month in the Chinese lunar calendar.
The holiday is featured by traditional celebrations including dragon boat races and eating zongzi, a glutinous rice dumpling wrapped in reed leaves. Typically, Chinese will take opportunity of the holiday to travel and enjoy festive events held countrywide.
According to the border inspection station of the port bordering the Macao Special Administrative Region (the Macao SAR), as of 15:00 Saturday, it had handled over 41,000 cross-border trips and more than 4,200 vehicle trips, increasing by 37.2 percent and 42.5 percent year over year, respectively.
It also said that as of 15:00 Saturday, the number of outbound trips had surpassed 27,000, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the total cross-border trips.
The released video showed that the travel rush was partially created by parents who were traveling with their children to experience festive atmosphere in Macao.
The video also showed growth in inbound trips as many Macao residents had chosen to pass through Hengqin port by car and spend the holiday with their relatives in mainland.
The released data showed that the port handled over 12,000 trips made by Hong Kong and Macao residents on Saturday, representing over 30 percent of the total passenger volume and marking a 49-percent surge compared with the same period of last year.
"After the port opened a specialized inspection zone for tourists traveling by car, we no longer need to wait in long line with our children to pass the port. It will save us a lot of efforts, if our family members want to pick us up," said a Macao tourist surnamed Chan.
In response to the rising cross-border trips, the border inspection station at Hengqin Port has strengthened passenger flow monitoring and stepped up efforts to manage passenger flow during the peak hours so as to ensure smooth travel for tourists.
Mainland port bordering Macao SAR sees rising festive cross-border trips
Mainland port bordering Macao SAR sees rising festive cross-border trips
