The daily traffic volume of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link reached a new high during the National Day holidays, bolstering a tourism boom in nearby cities.

From Oct 1 to 6, about 926,300 vehicles passed across the Link. On the first day of the week-long vacation on the Chinese mainland, the traffic volume hit 155,000 vehicles, the highest since its opening three months ago. The last day of the holiday, Oct 7th, also marked the 100th day since the Link was officially put into operation on June 30.

During the first Golden Week holiday since its opening, the $4.8 billion cross-sea mega project in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area played a significant role bolstering the local tourism industry.

READ MORE: Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link’s Nansha extension to open in October

Connecting the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary, the Link provides the first direct highway connection between the eastern cities of Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Huizhou, with the western cities of Zhuhai, Zhongshan, and Jiangmen.

Zhongshan is one of the biggest beneficiaries. According to local culture and tourism authorities, Zhongshan welcomed a total of 3.41 million visitors during the holiday, marking a year-on-year increase of 102 percent. The tourism revenue it generated was 1.968 billion yuan ($280 million) during the holiday, approximately doubling that of 2023.

READ MORE: Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link sees 3m vehicle crossings on first month

Another significant transportation infrastructure in the GBA, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, also witnessed a tourism boom, as it also achieved a new daily record of inbound and outbound vehicle volume on Oct 5, the highest since the bridge’s opening in 2018.

Contact the writer at grace@chinadailyhk.com