Shenzhen Business Daily Reading Client Reporter Ren Jianxin Correspondent Lin Bo Wang Zhijiang
The reporter learned from the Luohu Border Inspection Station that from January 1 to June 30 this year, the station has effectively ensured the safe and efficient customs clearance of more than 30 million inbound and outbound passengers, a significant increase over the same period in 2023, and has refreshed the single-day passenger flow record since the resumption of customs clearance for four consecutive times, with the highest single-day passenger flow exceeding 248,000 person-times. This series of data not only reflects the accelerated flow of inbound and outbound people, but also is a concentrated embodiment and vivid footnote of the economic interaction, favorable policies and cultural exchanges in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
The development of the Greater Bay Area has been improved and accelerated
As an important link between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, Luohu Port has attracted more inbound and outbound passengers to trust and choose to pass through the port with its unique geographical advantages, convenient transportation and efficient customs clearance mode.
Mr. Chen, from Hong Kong, is a "frequent visitor" of Luohu Port, and he comes to Shenzhen every weekend to spend, as if he has become half of the "Shenzhen Pass". "I've been here a lot, and I feel that it is very convenient for Shenzhen's subway lines to go wherever they go for consumption and shopping." Nowadays, more and more Hong Kong residents like Mr. Chan are choosing to travel, visit relatives and spend money in the mainland, and mainland tourists tend to make Shenzhen to Hong Kong their first stop on their outbound trips. This trend of "two-way travel" has not only promoted the continuous heating up of the tourism industry in the two places, but also promoted the prosperity and development of retail, catering, culture and entertainment industries at a deeper level.
During this year's "July 1st" period, Shenzhen and Hong Kong have launched a lot of cultural activities and free visit projects, plus this year's "July 1st" holiday and weekends are connected, the college entrance examination and the high school entrance examination are over, and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan channel was officially opened on the afternoon of June 30. From June 29 to June 30, the Luohu Border Inspection Station inspected a total of more than 470,000 inbound and outbound passengers, of which the single-day passenger flow exceeded 248,000 on June 30, once again refreshing the new high of passenger flow since the resumption of customs clearance, realizing the "effect of high-level customs clearance guarantee" to promote "local high-quality development".
"Favorable policies" international circle of friends expanded
With the implementation of a series of mutual visa exemption agreements this year, the expansion of the Mainland's "Individual Visit Scheme" to Hong Kong and Macao, and the implementation of a number of policies such as the National Immigration Administration's five measures to facilitate foreigners to come to China, and the implementation of a number of policies such as visa-free exemption for 12 Eurasian countries, the interconnection between the Mainland, Hong Kong and Macao has accelerated, and the atmosphere of "one family" has become stronger, making it increasingly convenient for foreigners to do business, study and travel in China.
"In the past, most of the tour groups we received were concentrated in Hong Kong, but since the implementation of the 144-hour transit visa-free policy, many international tourists will choose to enter Hong Kong and then come to Shenzhen, Guangzhou and other places through the Luohu port to enjoy a more diversified travel experience." During the "May Day" holiday, Mr. Fang, a Hong Kong tour guide, led a team of "international friends" to talk about the Internet hot stalk of "city is not city", and lamented that the convenience measures made ChinaTravel easier.
Luohu Port is currently the port with the largest inbound and outbound passenger flow in Shenzhen, and it is also the preferred cross-border tourism distribution center for major tour groups. Since the beginning of this year, the Luohu Border Inspection Station has coordinated and solved a number of difficulties for tourism companies, optimized the inspection and release mechanism for group passengers, and opened up various levels of "checkpoints" to make the experience of foreign tourists in China smoother. Since the beginning of the year, the Luohu Border Inspection Station has inspected more than 4,300 "144-hour visa-free tour groups", safely and efficiently inspecting more than hundreds of thousands of foreigners, a year-on-year increase of more than two times, directly driving the economic acceleration of the tourism consumption market and adding new advantages to help the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area shape a high-level opening up.
The Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cultural Belt is interconnected
The convenience of customs clearance is not only reflected in transportation, but also extends to all aspects of life. In the context of the construction of Shenzhen's "dual zone", the role of Luohu Port has also changed, it is not only a simple entry and exit channel, but also an important platform for cultural exchanges and cooperation between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.
Since the beginning of this year, more and more cultural exchange activities have been successfully held in Shenzhen and Hong Kong, from the integration of Chinese and foreign cultures at the Cultural Expo, to the frequent interaction of art exhibitions, to the wonderful arrival of the first "Chinese Cultural Festival" and "Luohu Shenzhen-Hong Kong Cultural Month", Shenzhen and Hong Kong residents have appreciated and learned from each other in culture, making the integration of Shenzhen and Hong Kong cultures more in-depth. The accelerated integration of Shenzhen and Hong Kong has not only brought the convenience of "just leaving" and "seeing what you want", but also a true portrayal of the high-quality living circle of the people in the Bay Area.
"The frequent holding of cultural activities not only enriches the spiritual life of the people of the two places, but also promotes the common development of the cultures of the two places in the exchange, laying a solid foundation for the construction of a humanistic bay area." Since the beginning of this year, the Luohu Border Inspection Station has actively carried out the construction of a "cultural country", invited the youth orchestras of Shenzhen and Hong Kong to carry out music flash mob activities at the Luohu Port, and relied on the Luohu Bridge Patriotism Education Base to carry out themed activities such as "Walking Ideological and Political Courses" to build a bridge for cultural and emotional exchanges between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. In the first half of the year, more than 540,000 cross-border students were inspected and released, and more than 20 emergency assistance were provided to on-site passengers, so that inbound and outbound passengers could truly feel the cultural thickness and humanistic temperature of the Greater Bay Area.
In addition, the Luohu Border Inspection Station closely followed the "136" work deployment of the Shenzhen Border Inspection Station, focused on the improvement of the "new police model" and new quality combat effectiveness, actively carried out the "micro-innovation" of the inspection management model, and took the initiative to connect with enterprises such as the Duty-free Group and Hong Kong China Travel Service, and adopted five measures to facilitate the people and benefit enterprises, such as door-to-door legal popularization and delivery services, simplifying the document handling process, improving inspection efficiency, optimizing clearance arrangements, and early warning of the peak of certificate processing, so as to help the monthly turnover of the duty-free group increase significantly and promote the high-quality development of the "Renmin South Business District"; Actively benchmark the territorial development plan, so that "local governments have plans and needs", "border inspection departments have measures and responses", and take the initiative to integrate border inspection work into the overall construction of "three forces and three districts" in Luohu District, so as to inject strong border inspection momentum into the stable development of economy and society.