Group tours to Shenzhen from Hong Kong and Macao are expected to see a revival as cross-border travel between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao fully resumed from Monday.

Qianhai welcomed the country’s first inbound group tour from Hong Kong and Macao on Monday, the first day of the resumption of group tours for travelers from the two special administrative regions.

The group was led by a Hong Kong tour guide, and they visited characteristic scenic spots in Qianhai, feeling the city’s cultural heritage and understanding the city’s development.

“I haven’t visited Shenzhen for three years, and there are quite many changes!” said a tourist surnamed Gao. According to her, it was surprising to see that the city is thriving with more modern buildings.

“All the way forward from Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, there are modern buildings flashing by the car window, which is eye-catching,” Wen Guowei, the Hong Kong tour guide, told Shenzhen Economic Daily.

Wen said he really felt Qianhai’s vigorous development and hoped that with the full resumption of border crossing between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, he could bring more Hong Kong tourists to Qianhai to have a look and understand its development, as well as help young people seize Qianhai’s development opportunities.

According to Wen, Feb. 6 was a very memorable day in his career as a tour guide, as Monday’s trip was his first time to take a group tour to Qianhai. At the end of last year, he obtained his Hong Kong and Macao tour guide license in Qianhai.

The resumption of cross-border group tours also bodes well for the quick recovery of cross-border consumption.

In order to promote the in-depth integration of culture and tourism, Nanshan District has planned a historical and cultural tour route in a bid to attract Hong Kong and Macao tourists to Nanshan and stimulate tourism consumption.

The inbound group tour route mainly focuses on historical and cultural attractions such as Nantou Ancient Town, Qianhai Stone Park, Tianhou Palace, the “Bay Glory” Ferris wheel and OCT Harbor.