‘Everyone wants to make history’: revamped Huanggang Port opens to brisk business
Hong Kong travel agencies and border shops have capitalised on the opening of the revamped Huanggang Port as thousands of visitors poured through the control point, with special tours on offer and shopkeepers reporting brisk business. Agents said the port’s 24-hour joint clearance arrangements could give cross-border tourism a major boost, although crowd control measures dampened trade at the…
Hong Kong travel agencies and border shops have taken advantage of the revamped Huanggang Port's opening, with thousands of visitors flocking to the control point. The port, which has 24-hour joint clearance arrangements, has been touted as a major boost to cross-border tourism. However, crowd control measures at the checkpoint entrance seemed to dampen trade at the entrance.
Hong Kong travel agency Big Line Holiday was among the first to organize tours for the upgraded checkpoint on Monday morning. About 1,000 people joined the tours, with 20 groups scheduled across different time slots. The agency's chairwoman, Chan Yin-ping, expressed confidence in the port's potential to boost tourism, citing its convenient location and the fact that visitors can enjoy a meal and a movie before returning to Hong Kong.
Tourists, including retirees Thomas Li and Wendy Sung, expressed excitement about the new port's joint clearance system, which cuts clearance times to five minutes for pedestrians and two minutes for drivers. Local businesses reported an increase in customers, with some offering promotions to mark the opening. While some visitors found the surroundings still sparse, others praised the new port for its convenient location and ease of access to Shenzhen.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post - Hong Kong's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
