SINCE its launch in April, the passenger ferry service connecting Guangzhou and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has grown in use, with departures and arrivals rising to five both ways this week.

The service shuttles passengers from the Pazhou Ferry Terminal on the south bank of the Pearl River in Guangzhou to the Hong Kong International Airport and Tsim Sha Tsui on the Kowloon Peninsula in Hong Kong.

According to a statement released by Guangzhou Customs, more than 20,000 inbound and outbound passengers passed through Pazhou Ferry Terminal from July 1 to Aug. 31. The month-on-month increase for that time was 51% for inbound passengers and 54.5% for outbound.

The ferry service is one of many measures aimed at accelerating connectivity among major cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, making it easier and more convenient for people to travel.

Zeng Xiang, a customs official with Guangzhou Convention and Exhibition Center Customs, said the number of inbound and outbound passengers through Pazhou Ferry Terminal hit a daily peak at 525 people this summer, and he expects to see passenger numbers grow in the future.

A Guangzhou businessman surnamed Zhang said he could save more than two hours in travel time from downtown Guangzhou to Hong Kong International Airport by taking the ferry.

“I can directly check in and drop off my luggage at Pazhou Ferry Terminal. It is a great ferry journey with a great customs clearance experience,” Zhang said.

(China Daily)