Mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong: High Speed Rail West Kowloon Station leads the way

The West Kowloon Station of the high-speed railway has become the most popular port of entry due to its convenient and efficient customs clearance experience. The continued implementation of the "Guangdong Bus Southbound" policy has driven the growth of self driving passenger flow, and the coordinated efforts of multiple transportation modes have not only facilitated passenger travel, but also effectively driven consumption in Hong Kong's core business districts, injecting strong momentum into Hong Kong's cultural and tourism economy.

The diversified characteristics of mainland tourists entering Hong Kong are becoming increasingly evident, with multiple modes of transportation such as railways and highways complementing each other to meet the travel needs of different passengers. The West Kowloon Station of the high-speed railway stands out as the core hub of peak passenger flow. As the core station of the Hong Kong section of the Guangzhou Shenzhen Hong Kong high-speed railway, West Kowloon Station adopts the "one place, two inspections" transit method, allowing passengers to complete the procedures for mainland exit and Hong Kong entry in one go without transferring midway. This greatly shortens the clearance time. In addition, its independently developed passenger flow guidance and prediction system further improves the clearance efficiency during peak hours, enabling passengers to achieve "fast clearance and convenient travel". During the Spring Festival holiday, the number of mainland tourists entering Hong Kong through the West Kowloon Station of the high-speed railway reached 326800, with an average daily passenger flow of over 36000. With the advantages of high efficiency and convenience, it remained the most popular port of entry in Hong Kong, demonstrating the core role of railway transportation in cross-border travel.

In addition to the West Kowloon Station of the high-speed railway, the Lok Ma Chau branch line (Futian/Huanggang Port) is also an important choice for mainland tourists to enter the country, becoming a popular port second only to the West Kowloon Station. Located adjacent to the Shenzhen River, Lok Ma Chau is an important transportation hub between Hong Kong and the mainland. Its branch lines connect to Futian and Huanggang ports, with 24-hour customs clearance. It can also connect to Shenzhen Metro Line 4 and Line 10, taking into account the convenience of both highways and subways, providing flexible choices for passengers traveling between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. As a traditional popular land port, the Lok Ma Chau branch line complements the West Kowloon Station of the high-speed railway, further enriching the entry channels for mainland tourists, alleviating the passenger flow pressure of a single port, and jointly supporting the transportation network for cross-border travel.

It is worth noting that the continuous promotion of the "Guangdong Bus Southbound" policy has added new options for mainland tourists to enter Hong Kong, and has more effectively driven the local consumption vitality in Hong Kong. As an important measure for the interconnectivity of the Guangdong Hong Kong Macao Greater Bay Area, the "Guangdong Car Southbound" policy breaks the previous threshold restrictions for private cars from mainland China to enter Hong Kong. Qualified Guangdong private car owners can drive into the city center of Hong Kong with approval, and can stay for up to 3 consecutive days at a time, greatly facilitating the travel of families and self driving enthusiasts. During the Spring Festival holiday, driven by this policy, the proportion of self driving passengers entering the country reached 15%, and the growth of self driving passenger flow directly led to a year-on-year increase of 30% in passenger flow in core business districts such as Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. These core business districts, as the core areas of Hong Kong's cultural and tourism consumption, are crowded during the Spring Festival period, with hotel occupancy rates generally exceeding 90%. The increase in passenger flow directly translates into consumption power, driving the continuous heating up of retail, catering and other industries.