Passenger traffic through Zhuhai’s Gongbei checkpoint—China’s busiest land port with Macau—has surged past 31 million travellers per day since the beginning of July, state tourism portal CNTour reported on 15 July. The spike is driven by school holidays on the Mainland and a packed calendar of cultural events in Macau, including the International Fireworks Festival and the new Galaxy Arena concert series. Border officials have activated contingency rosters, opening all 471 automated e-channels and adding a ‘family lane’ with pram-friendly gates during peak evening hours. Average clearance time remains under 15 minutes, but authorities warn of compression to single-digit minutes once Macau re-introduces a tourist-tax refund scheme in August. To keep flows steady, the Gongbei administrative committee has coordinated shuttle buses linking the checkpoint with Zhuhai railway station and Hengqin cooperation zone. A dedicated green lane for pre-cleared tour groups using digital exit cards has shortened coach-boarding times by 40 percent, according to operator data. Companies moving staff between Hengqin’s financial-services pilot zone and Macau’s hospitality clusters should factor in weekend congestion and encourage employees to register for e-channel use in advance. For assignees residing in Macau but working in Zhuhai, the surge may affect morning commutes; flexible work-from-home arrangements could mitigate delay risk.
Source: CNTour.cn
