An immigration officer (left) checks identification documents of a family at Luohu Port on July 28, 2023. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

As the summer season approaches its midpoint, the enthusiasm for cross-border travel continues to soar. Major checkpoints at the border of Hong Kong and Shenzhen are bustling with a constant flow of inbound and outbound tourists, and more are expected for the upcoming weekend.

Luohu Port, one of the busiest for Shenzhen-Hong Kong travelers, received more than 3.7 million travelers from July 1 to 27, according to Shenzhen’s inspection station at the port. The average passenger volume reached 138,000 daily in July, marking an increase of 14 percent compared to the same period last month.

An officer at the station said the number of Hong Kong tourists crossing through Shenzhen Bay Port during weekends this month has steadily risen

An officer at the station said that peak hours for inbound travelers are from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm and for outbound travelers from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm.

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The passenger traffic at another two major control points – Lok Ma Chau and Shenzhen Bay – reached 3.38 million and 1.77 million respectively in July, including both arrivals and departures, according to the Immigration Department of Hong Kong. The three control points recorded a total of more than 8.8 million travelers so far this month.

Last Saturday, July 22, witnessed the largest single-day record of 497,434 passenger trips in recent months, surpassing the level seen during the public holiday on May 26, 2023. 

Among cross-border travelers, the number of Hong Kong residents entering the mainland is surging. According to Shenzhen’s inspection station at Shenzhen Bay Control Point, the past weekend (July 22 and 23), Hong Kong residents holding "Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents" accounted for 60 percent of all inbound and outbound travelers.

An officer at the station said the number of Hong Kong tourists crossing through Shenzhen Bay Port during weekends this month has steadily risen, suggesting an increasing enthusiasm among Hong Kong residents for traveling to Shenzhen.

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Similar trends have appeared at the other two ports. The number of Hong Kong residents traveling to the mainland on the same day sometimes outnumbered mainland residents entering Hong Kong by two to three times.

Contact the write at grace@chinadailyhk.com