Border inspection authorities in Zhuhai announced on May 30 that the number of inbound and outbound passenger trips handled this year has surpassed 100 million, reaching the milestone 16 days earlier than last year.

According to the Zhuhai General Station of Immigration Inspection, the number of mainland residents traveling to Hong Kong and Macao reached 55 million, while crossings by Hong Kong and Macao residents totaled 42 million, representing year-on-year increases of more than 9% and 10%, respectively.

Officials said the figures reflect accelerating integration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) as the connectivity of both infrastructure and standards and rules continue to improve, supporting the development of a regional one-hour living circle.

At Hengqin Port, travelers pass through inspection channels using facial recognition and fingerprint verification, often completing the entire process within seconds.

Passenger traffic at the port has grown particularly rapidly this year. More than 15 million crossings have been recorded at Hengqin Port so far, an increase of approximately 30% year on year, making it one of the most active cross-border gateways in the GBA.

"I handle business at my company in Macao in the morning and can attend meetings at my company in Hengqin in the afternoon," said Chen, a Macao entrepreneur who commutes between the two locations almost daily. "The clearance system is highly accurate and efficient. It takes about 10 seconds to complete the process."

Another traveler, surnamed Zhuang from Macao, said she typically visits Zhuhai once a week for shopping and dining.

"This time we also plan to visit Chimelong in Hengqin," she said. "Facial-recognition clearance means we don't have to keep taking out our travel documents. It's both fast and convenient."

The smooth travel experience is driven by the widespread adoption of smart border-clearance technologies. Authorities said facial-recognition clearance has become a mainstream option for cross-border travel in the GBA.

According to the Zhuhai General Station of Immigration Inspection, more than 18 million passenger trips have used the facial-recognition system so far this year. On average, one in every five travelers crossing through ports under its jurisdiction now chooses the contactless clearance method.