Self-driving tours a rising trend in HK

As self-driving travel becomes increasingly popular among Chinese tourists, Hong Kong residents embraced a new trend of northbound self-driving tours during this year's Spring Festival holiday, which ended on Tuesday.

The number of outbound self-driving tourists during the holiday increased 11 percent year-on-year, according to the 2025 Spring Festival Global Self-Driving Tour Report published on Wednesday by Zuzuche.com, a platform that provides global car rental and self-driving tour services.

Shanghai, Beijing and the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Sichuan, Shandong, Yunnan, Fujian and Shaanxi were the top sources of outbound self-driving tourists, the report said.

For self-driving travelers from Hong Kong, the most popular domestic destinations included Shanghai; Beijing; Shenzhen, Chaozhou, Jieyang, Zhongshan, Zhuhai and Zhaoqing in Guangdong; Chengdu in Sichuan; Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region; and Altay in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

A Hong Kong resident surnamed Lee said he drove to Zhongshan with his family to visit friends and relatives and explore local scenic spots during the holiday.

"It took me just 30 minutes to reach Zhuhai from Hong Kong through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which offers convenient customs procedures at the checkpoint. Then it took me less than 30 minutes to arrive in Zhongshan, the hometown of Sun Yat-sen, a great national hero, from Zhuhai," he said.

Another Hong Kong resident Gary Poon, a Hong Kong poultry agent director, said he visited Foshan, where he enjoyed local cuisine and set off fireworks for two days.

"I saw many Hong Kong vehicles heading northbound to Guangdong while I was driving on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge," he said. "Many of my friends also self-drove to Guangdong during the holiday. It has definitely become a new trend."

Since the northbound travel schemes for Hong Kong and Macao vehicles took effect in 2023, residents from the two regions who have entry permits have been allowed to enter Guangdong through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge highway port. Cars from Hong Kong and Macao can stay in the province for up to 30 days per trip and up to 180 days per year.

According to authorities, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge highway port recorded more than 23,500 vehicle crossings on Jan 31, and 26,600 on Feb 1, setting back-to-back single-day records.

The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, which connects the two cities on opposite sides of the Pearl River estuary, also saw record-high traffic, with 157,600 vehicle crossings on Monday and 161,100 on Tuesday.

During the holiday, a series of cultural and festival events, including flower shows, float parades and fireworks displays, attracted large numbers of Hong Kong and Macao residents looking to celebrate the country's biggest festival of the year.