Major Transportation Developments out of Hong Kong and Macau

Bill Flora
Bill Flora, the Kong Hong tourism director for the U.S.

This week, Travel Agent attended the 2015 Hong Kong and Macau Travel Mission Reception in New York City.

Both Hong Kong and Macau have major developments coming up through the rest of 2015 into 2016. 

Macau will welcome The Wynn Palace, Louis XIII Hotel, The Parisian Resort and the Palazzo Versace hotel in 2016. Meanwhile, Hong Kong will host major events like the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival on October 22-25 of this year, which will highlight the city’s unique food culture -- Hong Kong is home to more than 80 Michelin stars.

The Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival will include tastings from fine wineries and Cantonese cuisine, explains Bill Flora, the Hong Kong tourism director for the U.S.

The news wasn't just about new hotels and festivals, but also about transportation in the two citites. 

There are 137 direct flights to Hong Kong from the U.S. each week, but traveling between Hong Kong and Macau takes about an hour by ferry. However, in 2018 two major developments will make travel between the two destinations much easier. The high-speed rail link to Guangzhou will be completed in 2018, which will cut the travel time between Guangzhou and Hong Kong down from two hours to 45 minutes. Also, The 26-mile long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge will be built in 2018. This will connect Macau and Hong Kong with a 45-minute commute. 

“It’s going to one of the world’s longest bridges … it is really something we are looking forward to here,” says Anthony Lau, the executive director of the Hong Kong tourism board.

Looking forward, agents will want to remember that there are some major celebrations happening in Hong Kong next year, including the Tin Hau Birthday celebration on April 29, 2016 and the Cheung Chau Bun Festival on May 11-15, 2016.  In Macau, the 62nd Macau Grand Prix on November 19-22 this year.