China’s National Immigration Administration reported a 49.5 % surge in foreigners entering the mainland visa-free in 2025, underscoring a rapid rebound in regional mobility. Coverage by United Daily News on 28 February 2026 highlighted that outbound journeys to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan accounted for 112.71 million trips—two-thirds of all private outbound travel by mainland residents.The data offer fresh context for companies managing ‘Greater Bay Area’ commuting patterns.
![Mainland visa-free arrivals jump 49 % as cross-border trips to Hong Kong top 112 million]()
In this context, VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) provides real-time updates on mainland and SAR entry rules and can handle bulk or individual visa applications in a single dashboard—useful for firms juggling frequent Shenzhen–Hong Kong rotations and for leisure travellers capitalising on the relaxed policies.
Hong Kong remains the primary gateway: new fast-track quotas for Guangdong private cars and expanded high-speed-rail frequencies have lifted cross-border capacity to record levels. Travel-management companies say weekday business shuttles between Shenzhen tech parks and Hong Kong’s Central district are now back at, or even above, 2019 volumes.For Hong Kong retailers and hospitality operators, the figures signal sustained demand following January’s visa-fee discounts for mainland tourists. At the same time, the spike in visa-free inbound travel to China may shift some MICE events to neighbouring cities such as Guangzhou or Zhuhai, prompting Hong Kong’s convention bureau to sweeten venue subsidies in response.Companies with China-based staff should monitor seat inventory around public holidays. The report notes that 161.66 million of 167.92 million mainland outbound trips last year were private, not business, suggesting that leisure demand could crowd out last-minute corporate bookings if capacity growth lags.
In this context, VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) provides real-time updates on mainland and SAR entry rules and can handle bulk or individual visa applications in a single dashboard—useful for firms juggling frequent Shenzhen–Hong Kong rotations and for leisure travellers capitalising on the relaxed policies.
Hong Kong remains the primary gateway: new fast-track quotas for Guangdong private cars and expanded high-speed-rail frequencies have lifted cross-border capacity to record levels. Travel-management companies say weekday business shuttles between Shenzhen tech parks and Hong Kong’s Central district are now back at, or even above, 2019 volumes.For Hong Kong retailers and hospitality operators, the figures signal sustained demand following January’s visa-fee discounts for mainland tourists. At the same time, the spike in visa-free inbound travel to China may shift some MICE events to neighbouring cities such as Guangzhou or Zhuhai, prompting Hong Kong’s convention bureau to sweeten venue subsidies in response.Companies with China-based staff should monitor seat inventory around public holidays. The report notes that 161.66 million of 167.92 million mainland outbound trips last year were private, not business, suggesting that leisure demand could crowd out last-minute corporate bookings if capacity growth lags.
