Shenzhen Bay Port logs record single-day passenger traffic amid summer cross-border travel boom

The Shenzhen Bay Port in south China's Guangdong Province recorded more than 200,000 arrivals and departures in a single day on Saturday, its highest ever, as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) is witnessing an unprecedented wave of cross-border travel this summer.

Family trips, weekend getaways and culture-themed tours have surged in July and August, keeping every port in Shenzhen at peak capacity.

Immigration figures on the Shenzhen Bay Port's operation show that, as of Saturday, the number of mainland travelers entering and departing through the port has increased 34 percent year-on-year. The number of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan residents has increased 25 percent, and the number of foreign passport holders has increased 33 percent.

"We stayed here for two nights. We went to Foshan and Zhongshan, tried lots of famous local food, like the black tofu," said one traveler from Hong Kong.

"Crossing here is quick and easy. We do it all the time," said another.

"I'm with a group of 30 people. Tonight we rest, tomorrow we go to Dongmen. We are on a five-day trip to Zhuhai, Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Macao," said an Indonesian visitor.

Better transport links, seamless QR-code cross-border payments and faster custom inspection e-gates have combined with a calendar of festive events in the Greater Bay Area to heat up the entire travel chain. Scenic zones, restaurants and hotels are reaping the rewards.

"Customer flow in the summer is 10 to 15 percent above normal. Seventy percent are Hong Kong and Macao guests, and on weekends we serve over 1,000 of them. Customers have to wait 40 to 60 minutes on average for a table. We close at 10 p.m., but people are still lining up at 9:30," said Luo Zhisheng, a restaurant manager in Shenzhen.

The Shenzhen Bay Port handled 30 million crossings this year as of Saturday, nearly two months ahead of last year's pace.

"Most travelers are families, students on study tours or spectators of sports and cultural events. We've taken measures including additional lanes, passenger flow optimization and route diversion to keep everything moving smoothly during peak hours," said Shi Li, a customs inspection officer at the Shenzhen Bay Port.

Shenzhen Bay Port logs record single-day passenger traffic amid summer cross-border travel boom

Japanese shares closed sharply lower Monday, with the Nikkei 225 plunging 3.9 percent to around 64,000 points as investors sold off heavyweight technology stocks, said Timothy Pope, a market analyst for China Global Television Network (CGTN).

Analysts said the drop, which briefly exceeded 4 percent intraday, reflected profit-taking after recent gains and mounting concerns over U.S. rate hikes and the Middle East conflict.

The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended down 2,563.52 points, or 3.85 percent, from Friday at 64,024.60.

The broader Topix index finished 96.71 points, or 2.45 percent, lower at 3,852.38.

Artificial intelligence- and semiconductor-related shares led the decline, tracking Wall Street losses late last week amid growing expectations of a U.S. Federal Reserve rate hike later this year. Lingering uncertainty over the Middle East conflict also weighed on market sentiment.

Despite the Nikkei posting its fourth-largest intraday point drop on record, analysts said the move was more likely a temporary pullback following the recent rally, as growth hopes for the technology sector remain intact.

Pope noted that the tech slide coincided with fresh missile strikes by Israel and Iran, raising worries over higher fuel costs for energy‑import dependent Japan.

"Over in Tokyo the Nikkei 225 shed 3.9 percent to close back around 64,000 points. For the Nikkei the tech slump coincided with more missile strikes by Israel and Iran in the Middle East. For energy import dependent Japan, we are seeing the prospect of still higher fuel costs and that sent government bonds lower. The Japanese Yen also remains around 160 per dollar, which makes currency intervention a real worry for the markets as well. And despite the healthy real wage growth data out of Japan last week, the first quarter GDP was revised down today thanks to weak capital expenditure from businesses," said Pope.

Japanese shares drop sharply as Middle East conflict weighs on sentiment: analyst