As the Spring Festival approaches, large supermarkets in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and other places in Guangdong welcome many Hong Kong and Macao residents to go north to purchase New Year goods. The craze continues and heats up.
Early in the morning, when the reporter came to this newly opened supermarket in Longhua District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, consumers were already queuing up. The grand opening attracted many Hong Kong and Macao residents who made a special trip to check in and spend money.
The reporter consulted the on-site staff and found that in just a few days, the supermarket had processed more than 130,000 membership cards, of which more than 10,000 were issued by Hong Kong and Macao residents.
The reporter saw that due to the heavy traffic, the aisles of the supermarket were full of shopping carts, making it difficult to push them. Hong Kong friends who often come to the mainland for shopping have many clever tips. They will prepare simple trolleys in advance to easily pass through without "traffic jams".
Compared with the small supermarkets that can be seen everywhere in Hong Kong, this kind of warehouse supermarket has larger goods, more categories, and more space. Many Hong Kong and Macao residents believe that shopping in such supermarkets can save money and buy high-quality products.
The Spring Festival of the Year of the Dragon is coming soon. Supermarkets provide many New Year products with dragon elements for everyone to choose from. It is overwhelming. The staff in the New Year's goods area also started to be busy early in the morning.
The pre-holiday shopping spree is about to begin, and the store has provided convenient and direct shuttle buses for Hong Kong and Macao residents.
The hot consumer market has led many travel agencies to target business opportunities. The reporter came to the commercial plaza at Shenzhen Liantang Port, where tourists carrying large and small bags shuttled through various shops. Many Hong Kong citizens came to the counters of travel agencies to learn about "cross-border short-distance travel".
The reporter noticed that on the flyers of travel agencies, the names of large supermarkets were placed in the most conspicuous position. The citizens who came to learn about it also made inquiries about shopping, and many customers placed orders directly after consultation.
The peace of mind behind new consumption trends
More and more Hong Kong and Macao residents choose to go north to purchase New Year goods, and the one-hour living circle in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is becoming more and more convenient. Behind the new trend of consumption in the north are various supporting measures to accelerate the integration of the Greater Bay Area.
In this supermarket in Shenzhen, two steps away from the exit is the delivery service point specially set up by the express company on site. Large and small packages of goods are loaded into packing boxes one after another from the newly launched shopping carts, and are taken away immediately. Consumers in Hong Kong and Macao may receive the goods as soon as they arrive home.
Since the implementation of the "Hong Kong Cars Going North" and "Macao Cars Going North" policies last year, more and more Hong Kong and Macao residents have chosen to travel by self-driving. At present, the flower and tree market in Zhongshan City has attracted many Hong Kong and Macao residents to drive here to buy New Year flowers.
Not only traveling by car, consumers can also choose to take high-speed rail. With the increase in passenger flow, the station has also undergone new changes.
CCTV reporter Tian Qiyong: We can see from the latest Futian Station train timetable that the number of trains between Futian and West Kowloon has increased from the previous 74 to 98 times a day, and the last train time of Shenzhen Futian has been extended to 22 Hours 31 minutes.
The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway has also launched 20-time "counted tickets" and 30-day "regular tickets". The station has set up a "Hong Kong West Kowloon Station Special Window" to help passengers quickly handle business and ensure smooth travel for passengers.
Cultural consumption becomes a new choice for mainland tourists traveling to Hong Kong and Macao
Enjoy New Year's fireworks and take a city stroll. The charm of traveling to Hong Kong and Macao has not diminished, and there are also some new hot spots and new options: walking into historical areas and tasting diverse cultures.
Mainland tourists can stroll through the old streets and alleys to experience the history of Macau. They can also listen to a symphony in the old districts, enjoy the New Year light and shadow show, taste local food and experience the charm of multiculturalism. Consumers can also experience a different kind of local culture in large and small "specialty stores".
During the New Year's Day holiday that just passed, the highest number of tourists visiting Macao in a single day reached 175,300, which was a new high in the past three years. In order to welcome the upcoming Spring Festival passenger flow, Macau is also preparing for festival activities such as float parades, fireworks shows, and community tours to provide tourists with a new experience in cultural tourism consumption.
Macau Government Tourism Office Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes: I hope that during this Spring Festival, in addition to participating in large-scale events, everyone can also go into the community. Last year, we had about 28 million tourists coming to Macau. This year we hope to return to about 33 million tourists.
(CCTV reporters Tian Qiyong, Wang Luying, He Junru, Qu Baiyu and Xiao Zhongren)