粵港車輛南向通行擴大至五城 每日額度增至200輛

Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme extended to five additional cities from Saturday, with daily quota of urban trips doubling to 200 A car travelling under the expanded Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme at Ocean Terminal carpark on Saturday. Photo: Karma Lo Close to 170 mainland Chinese motorists are expected to arrive in Hong Kong on Saturday under an expanded cross-border travel scheme, with hotels rolling out accommodation, dining, shopping and parking packages to attract the new visitors. The Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme was extended to cover five more cities – Shenzhen, Foshan, Dongguan, Huizhou and Zhaoqing – from Saturday, with the daily quota of urban trips doubling to 200. A total of nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area are now eligible, comprising the five new additions and the original four of Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Jiangmen and Zhongshan. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said authorities received three times as many applications under the expanded scheme as the available quota. “The response has been very encouraging,” Chan said at the scheme’s launch ceremony at the Hong Kong port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. “Of the applications received, 60 per cent came from the five newly added cities.” She added that nearly 170 vehicles were expected to enter Hong Kong on Saturday despite the approaching typhoon. Karl Tang, a Guangzhou motorist, arrived in the city under the scheme on Saturday morning with five family members, including his children and parents. “Driving is the most convenient because the whole family can come together,” he said, noting that their journey had taken less than two hours. “It saves us a lot of trouble, and the entire process was very smooth.” Tang, who visits Hong Kong several times a year, said his family planned to visit Disneyland and Lantau Island, although their one- or two-day itinerary remained uncertain due to the approaching typhoon. On the social media platform RedNote, mainland car owners were organising driving tours to Hong Kong, priced at 1,680 to 3,680 yuan (US$248 to US$543) and including services such as application fees for the necessary licence plate and insurance coverage. Unhandled type: inline-plus-widget {"type":"inline-plus-widget"} Lawmaker Alan Chan Chung-yee, who is also the chief operating officer of Miramar Group, said two hotels under the group were offering family accommodation, shopping and parking packages for visitors arriving under the scheme. He noted that many travellers came as two- or three-generation family groups, driving up demand for suites. “We are increasing such packages and preparing to add beds to cater to this group of tourists. I know that many mainland car owners are organising southbound vehicle tours to Hong Kong,” he said. He also suggested that the government consider launching a pilot scheme to open more border control points to motorists from different Greater Bay Area cities, such as by allocating a portion of quotas for Shenzhen drivers to use the Shenzhen Bay port instead of travelling via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. Hong Kong’s transport chief Mable Chan, says authorities received three times as many applications under the expanded scheme as the available quota. Photo: Edmond So Minister Chan said authorities would closely review calls to further increase the daily quota, add eligible cities and allow motorists to use other border crossings after gathering feedback on the newly expanded arrangements. The government aimed to extend the scheme to all 21 cities in Guangdong province in the first quarter of next year, she added. The scheme was launched in November 2025 after the Airport Authority opened a “park and fly” facility near Hong Kong International Airport, with urban trips allowed since December. The Airport Authority also provided automated car parks at Hong Kong International Airport, offering both “park and fly” and “park and visit” services. With more than 2,800 parking spaces, the facilities allow drivers to leave their vehicles in a designated cabin, after which the system automatically transports each vehicle to a parking space. Although each vehicle is allowed to stay in Hong Kong for up to three days, Chan said about 90 per cent of motorists making urban trips remained in the city for only one or two days. Traffic violations involving motorists under the scheme had been “sporadic” over the past six months and were swiftly followed up by the relevant authorities, she added. As of mid-July this year, the urban-trip application system had received more than 13,000 applications, with more than 11,000 applications approved and a total of more than 9,000 trips booked. The number of vehicle inspection centres across the nine mainland bay area cities has risen from 13 to 23 and will soon increase to 28, ensuring each city has at least one facility, according to Commissioner for Transport Winnie Tse Wing-yee. Tse said the inspection process usually took about 30 minutes, and motorists were also provided with information on Hong Kong’s traffic rules, road safety requirements and tourist attractions.