Self-Drive Holidays in Greater Bay Area
The Greater Bay Area, covering 56,000 square kilometres and comprising Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong province, offers a unique and exciting opportunity for self-drive holidays.
A new era for self-drive holidays in the Greater Bay Area began in July 2023, when, under the northbound travel programme, private vehicles with Hong Kong plates were granted permission to drive in the GBA without dual plates, and access only via the HK-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge. This change has made exploring the region by car a viable option for Hong Kong residents.
The take up figures are staggering.
According to China Daily in an article entitled, 'Single-licensed vehicles make 2 million northbound trips via HZMB', from July 2023 when the programme was introduced until March 2024, more than 100,000 Hong Kong and Macao drivers have registered, 78,000 single plate vehicles have registered with mainland customs, and there are 6,000 new registrations per month.
In February 2024, Hong Kong single plated cars made 110,000 trips across the Hong Kong-Macao-Zhuhai Bridge.
Yet it's not as simple as just hopping in your car and driving across the border. To drive in China, you'll need a Hong Kong license, a China driving license, a HKMZ Bridge permit, China car insurance, a vehicle check (we did ours in Yuen Long), and an electronic tag for China roads.
The China driving license (for foreigners) requires a multiyear visa, and any passenger requires a visa too. Still, if over 100,000 people have done it, including myself, then what are you waiting for?
The freedom of the open road, the real and repeated thrill of driving in China, and the ability to create our own itinerary – these are just a few of the joys that come with exploring the Greater Bay Area by car.
After countless bus, coach, taxi, train, and ferry trips, I can say that driving in China is a huge change of scenery (pun intended) and offers so much more to see and do.
Self-drive holidays bring enormous benefits to Hong Kong even though it’s outbound travel.
Benefits For Hong Kong
1. Market Demand
- Growing Tourism: There is a rising demand for self-drive travel experiences in China, particularly among Hong Kong residents. The desire for greater flexibility, independence, and the ability to explore off-the-beaten-path destinations is driving this trend.
According to an article in the China Daily, the Spring Festival holiday in 2024, saw car rental bookings nearly doubled year-on-year, showing a strong interest in self-driving vacations (source).
"Meantime, thanks to the improvement of the highway network and given the popularity of passenger cars, off-road vehicles and recreational vehicles, self-driving trips have emerged as a mode of discovery for the enterprising among travelers in both urban and rural areas."
- Unique Offering: Hong Kong's position as a gateway to mainland China, coupled with its well-developed infrastructure and drivers, makes it an ideal starting point for self-drive holidays in the region.
[Hong Kong drives on the left whereas China drives on the right. But Hong Kong plated cars have to be right hand drives making the city perfect for China car manufacturers wanting to test cars first before entering the UK, for example]
2. Tourism Hub
- Strategic Location: Hong Kong's proximity to major Chinese cities and scenic areas in the Greater Bay Area makes it a convenient hub for self-drive travelers.
- Infrastructure: The GBA region boasts well-developed road networks and supporting services to cater to the needs of self-drive tourists.
- Potential Market: As of 2022, there were 649,540 private cars registered in Hong Kong, showing the potential for a thriving self-drive tourism market.
3. Driver-Guide Potential
- Cross-Border Services: For the last ten years, Hong Kong has battled with the concept of private taxis driven by individuals versus taxi drivers driven by professional drivers. Now there is a very real prospect of private taxis being used to ferry passengers across the Bridge. Yet if these services are licensed, there is a huge win-win opportunity for all.
- Hong Kong residents possess extensive driving experience and in-depth knowledge of the region, which can be leveraged to provide guided tours and enhance the self-drive experience.
- Language Advantage: Hong Kong's fluent English, bilingual and trilingual speakers can cater to international travelers seeking guided self-drive tours, further expanding the market potential.
4. Economic Impact
- Tourism Revenue: Promoting self-drive holidays in the Greater Bay Area can boost tourism revenue in Hong Kong and the surrounding regions, as travelers explore different destinations and utilize various services. Fly-Drive Packages offered in Hong Kong to international travellers? Rentals with drivers? Sounds far-fetched. Yet it is possible.
- Job Creation: The growth of self-drive tourism can lead to the creation of new jobs in the tourism, hospitality, and transportation sectors, benefiting the local economy.
[Years ago when we visited Sri Lanka, we hired a local driver (Gayan) and car through Taobao, a Chinese ecommerce (and much more) platform. We all spoke English so it was fine. Gayan told us he used WeChat to communicate with Chinese tourist customers, with their tour agents in China acting as real-time translators. This system can easily work for self-drive holidays in the Greater Bay Area, making communication effortless and enhancing the overall experience.]
5. Fresh Experiences
- Unique Exploration: Self-drive holidays offer a unique opportunity to experience the Greater Bay Area in a new way and allows travelers to explore at their own pace and discover hidden gems that may not be accessible through traditional tours.
- Sustainable Tourism: This new way of exploring the region can also help relieve congestion on public transport and promote sustainable tourism.
About Ivan Theodoulou
Ivan Theodoulou is founder of Eight PR, a PR agency in Hong Kong that specializes in tech, law, and corporate PR. He first visited China in 1987 by train from Hong Kong to Guangzhou and has since traveled extensively on the mainland and in the Greater Bay Area (GBA). Ivan passed his China driving test in March 2024 and now drives regularly in the GBA.
Places visited in China (by car, plane, train, high speed train, ferry, coach, bus) include: Beijing, Beijou, Chengdu, Dali, Daya Bay, Dongguan, Foshan, Ganzhou, Gaoming, Guangzhou, Hainan, Hailing Island, Heishan, Huizhou, Junan, Kunming, Lijang, Longjiang, Nanhai, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Shilin Yi, Shunde, Wuzhou, Xiamen, Yingde, Yinghe, Zhuhai, Zhaoqing.
Read other posts on a driving holiday in China, and about the marvel that is the Hong Kong - Macau - Zhuhai Bridge.