Hong Kong's West Kowloon Station has welcomed more than one million international travellers entering the Chinese mainland so far this year, reaching the milestone 75 days earlier than in 2025 and marking a 34 percent year-on-year increase.

The growth highlights the station's expanding role as a key gateway to the mainland, supported by Hong Kong's position as an international aviation hub and seamless connections to mainland cities via the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-speed Railway.

Many visitors are taking advantage of China's expanded visa facilitation measures. According to Shenzhen immigration authorities, 56 percent of foreign travellers passing through West Kowloon Station entered the mainland visa-free.

China currently grants unilateral visa-free entry to citizens of 50 countries, while travellers from 55 countries are eligible for its 240-hour visa-free transit policy through 65 designated ports. In the first half of the year, visa-free arrivals rose over 30 percent year-on-year to more than 17.8 million, accounting for 78 percent of all foreign entries.