Travel demand has surged between the Chinese mainland and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region during China's ongoing National Day holiday, with tourists flocking to go sightseeing or reunite with family.
China celebrates its National Day on Oct. 1. The holiday runs from Oct. 1 to Oct. 7.
According to border inspection authorities in Guangdong Province's Shenzhen, which borders Hong Kong, the city's ports handled 752,000 inbound and outbound trips on Tuesday, the first day of the holiday, a year-on-year increase of 4.6 percent. The figure included 280,400 inbound trips and 471,600 outbound trips.
At the Shenzhenwan Port, many Chinese mainland holiday makers said they plan to spend some time in Hong Kong with their friends and family visiting top attractions or going hiking and camping.
"We plan to go to the Avenue of Stars, Victoria Harbor, and the Hong Kong Science Museum. We plan to stay there for two days and one night," said a Guangdong traveler.
"We plan to stay for five days. We plan to hike the 100-kilometer MacLehose Trail. There are six of us and we brought our own camping gear," said another tourist from Guangdong.
Many of those traveling from Hong Kong to the mainland said they planned to visit family or participate in festive and cultural activities.
"I plan to go back to Xinhui (in Guangdong) to visit my relatives and enjoy the local food," said a Hong Kong traveler.
"(We are traveling to Shenzhen) to feel the holiday vibe. We plan to to Garden City (shopping mall) to enjoy the food, and let kids take part in entertainment activities in the mall," said a Hong Kong traveler on a family trip.
Routes linking Chinese mainland to HK busy with travelers during National Day holiday
The scale of China's industrial economy has been growing steadily with new drivers fostered, according the latest national economic census data released by the country's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The released data showed that during the five-year period covered by the fifth national economic census, China added 785,000 legal entities of industrial enterprises, marking a growth of 22.7 percent, with the strategic emerging industry posing the fastest growth of 45 percent.
By the end of 2023, the numbers of China's new-generation information technology industries, high-end equipment manufacturing industries, and new material industries increased by 62.4 percent, 50.4 percent, and 48.5 percent, respectively, compared with 2018, the data also showed.
By the end of 2023, eastern regions had over 70.2 percent of the country's equipment manufacturing enterprises above the designated size, each with annual revenue from principal business reaching over 20 million yuan. In particular, the manufacturing industrial enterprises in the Yangtze River Economic Belt area were the major pillar, accounting for 51.9 percent of the total legal entities of the manufacturing enterprises above the designated size, according to the data.
During the five-year period of the fifth national economic census, China's industrial enterprises also increased research and development spending, the data showed.
Spending in this regard by industrial enterprises above the designated size posted an average annual growth of 10.1 percent, especially the spending by the big high-tech and equipment manufacturers, which grew at an average annual rate of over 11 percent, according to the data.
Data shows China's industrial economy registers steady growth
