As the 2026 New Year's Day holiday approaches, tourist attractions and businesses in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are sparing no effort to welcome a flood of visitors, with some expecting trade to grow by 20 percent compared to non-holiday periods.
Cities in the region have launched an array of cultural and tourism activities to cater to the diverse demands of visitors, while some Hong Kong residents are planning to head north to soak up the festive atmosphere.
As the main venue for Guangdong province’s “Come to Guangdong for the Spring Festival 2026” tourism campaign, Foshan has rolled out over 200 cultural, tourism and sports events, blending traditional customs with modern elements. Highlights include free double-skinned milk for marathon runners, lion dance performances paired with Hong Kong music concerts, and lucky draws for red envelopes.
In Zhuhai, music festivals, food carnivals and intangible cultural heritage performances have been put together to greet visitors. The city government, enterprises and commercial platforms have also joined hands to bring real-money subsidies to both citizens and visitors to drive economic growth, including special discounts for automobiles, home appliances, catering and cultural tourism.
Shenzhen’s theme parks such as Happy Valley, Window of the World and Splendid China are seizing the holiday opportunity to launch a variety of innovative activities, integrating light shows, cultural experiences and high-tech performances.
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Cross-boundary travel is expected to surge during the holiday period as Hong Kong residents head north to spend the New Year’s Day break, while Chinese mainland tourists travel to Hong Kong for sightseeing and cultural experiences.
Shenzhen’s port authorities forecast that daily average passenger trips at Luohu Port, Futian Port and Shenzhen Bay Port could hit 240,000, 230,000 and 180,000, respectively.
Businesses in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are upbeat over the upcoming holiday boom and are making full preparations to meet the expected surge in customers.
“More and more Hong Kong people come to Shenzhen for shopping and dining during holidays, and the number of mainland visitors has also been increasing,” said Ye Xiaoxiao, who runs a jubensha — a popular immersive live-action role-playing game — shop in Shenzhen’s Futian district.
“We are very optimistic about business during this New Year’s Day holiday and expect our business volume to increase by 20 percent compared with non-holiday periods.”
A man surnamed Li who runs a Cantonese-style restaurant in Futian district also expressed confidence in trade during the holiday. “With Shenzhen’s rich activities and convenient transportation in the Greater Bay Area, we believe there will be a steady flow of customers during the upcoming holiday,” he said.
“To ensure quality services, we have stocked up sufficient ingredients and conducted special training for our service team in advance.”
Hong Kong resident Jonathan Chan said he plans to drive to Foshan with his family for a three-day trip during the upcoming holiday. “I’ve heard that Foshan has a lot of traditional cultural activities during the New Year holiday period. We want to travel there to experience the strong festive atmosphere and taste local snacks,” he said.
“The Greater Bay Area’s convenient transportation has made short-distance trips during holidays a popular choice for Hong Kong families. It’s easy and convenient to travel between cities, so we can fully enjoy the holiday fun,” he added.
Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com
