Cross-boundary travel between the Chinese mainland and the two Special Administrative Regions exploded during this year’s nine-day Spring Festival break. Data released by the Hong Kong Immigration Department and Macao’s Public Security Police show that inbound and outbound passenger movements through the West Kowloon high-speed-rail terminus, the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge and neighbouring land checkpoints surged by 38 percent compared with the same holiday in 2025.
Analysts link the jump to the Greater Bay Area’s deepening economic integration and to streamlined clearance procedures such as joint e-customs declarations and facial-recognition e-gates that cut border-crossing times to under 20 minutes. The West Kowloon terminus alone processed nearly 270,000 passengers on 22 February, its busiest day since the station opened in 2018.
For individual travellers and corporate mobility managers navigating the evolving entry requirements across the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, VisaHQ offers an easy online route to secure the necessary visas, travel authorizations and passport renewals. Their China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) provides up-to-date guidance, digital application tools and live support, helping travellers avoid paperwork snags and focus on making the most of the newly streamlined transport links.
For corporations with dual-location teams the numbers confirm that “one-hour living circle” ambitions are becoming reality. Consulting firms report that same-day business trips between Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hong Kong have returned to — and in some cases exceeded — pre-COVID levels. Retailers also benefited: UnionPay International says mainland card spending in Hong Kong during the holiday week rose 46 percent year-on-year.
Looking ahead, Hong Kong’s Transport and Logistics Bureau plans to pilot a ‘green channel’ for authenticated frequent travellers by mid-2026, while Macao is lobbying Beijing for an expansion of its individual-visitor-scheme city list. Companies should review travel-insurance coverage and per-diem policies, as cross-border commuting is likely to accelerate further.
