The Marine Department (MD) today (September 28) signed the "Work Arrangement for Facilitating the Entry and Exit of Guangdong-registered Yachts into Hong Kong Waters" and the "Work Arrangement for Entry and Exit of Hong Kong Yachts into Guangdong" with the Guangdong Maritime Safety Administration (GDMSA), taking forward the implementation of cross-boundary individual yacht travel between the two places.

     A spokesman for the Transport and Logistics Bureau said, "Apart from being the sector that the Government is committed to developing, the yacht economy is also one of the key development projects highlighted in the recently published First Five-Year Plan for Economic and Social Development of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (2026-2030) and the 2026 Policy Address. With strong support from the Central Government and close co-operation between Hong Kong and Guangdong, the MD and the GDMSA have been actively discussing and advancing the implementation of the relevant arrangements through the tripartite Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao individual yacht travel working group. The work arrangements signed today establish a mechanism that serves as a foundation, and hence mark a significant milestone for cross-boundary individual yacht travel between Hong Kong and Guangdong.

     "Following the launch of northbound travel of yachts from Hong Kong in June this year, which allows Hong Kong yacht owners travelling to the nine Chinese Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) to handle cross-border procedures more affordably and conveniently, we will soon launch the southbound travel of yachts from Guangdong, enabling yacht owners in Guangdong Province to enjoy the same level of convenience. This policy will help add impetus to cross-boundary leisure consumption and further promote two-way exchanges and visits between Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. We are pressing ahead with the final preparatory work, and will announce shortly the implementation details of southbound travel for yachts from Guangdong."

     The MD will continue to maintain close communication with the relevant authorities in Guangdong Province to actively promote the facilitation measures for the northbound travel of yachts from Hong Kong and the southbound travel for yachts from Guangdong, with a view to fostering a healthy, sustainable and competitive environment for the development of both local and GBA yacht economies, and at the same time enhancing connectivity and promoting Hong Kong's proactive integration into GBA development.

Ends/Monday, September 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 15:30

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