(Photo: Nanfang Plus)

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge saw a surge in traffic over the Qingming Festival holiday, with both passenger and vehicle numbers reaching record highs for this time of year.

From April 4 to noon on April 6, more than 272,000 travelers and 57,000 vehicles crossed the border at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Zhuhai Port, marking year-on-year increases of 32.1% and 41.7%, respectively, according to data from border authorities.

The bridge, which provides a direct link between Hong Kong and the western Pearl River Delta, has become an increasingly popular route for short cross-border trips. With travel times from Hong Kong to cities like Jiangmen, Zhongshan, and Foshan reduced to just one to two hours, many Hong Kong and Macao families opted to combine ancestral visits with family reunions and short holidays during the three-day break. This trend drove a 50% increase in Hong Kong and Macao single-plated vehicles, totaling 41,000 trips.

Around 42,000 residents from the Chinese mainland used the bridge during the holiday—up more than 30% from last year. Meanwhile, the number of foreigners crossing the bridge during the holiday reached 3,700, an increase of 27.4% compared to the same period last year.