“Southbound Travel for Yachts from Guangdong” Expected to Make Maiden Voyage in October, Enabling Two-Way Yacht Free Travel Across Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao

The governments of Guangdong and Hong Kong signed the Work Arrangement for Entry and Exit of Hong Kong Yachts into Guangdongand theWork Arrangement for Facilitating the Entry and Exit of Guangdong-registered Yachts into Hong Kong Watersin Guangzhou on September 28. The signing marks the imminent implementation of the southbound travel for yachts from Guangdong, with its maiden voyage expected to take place in October. Two-way yacht free travel between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao is expected to be fully facilitated.

To ensure the smooth implementation of the southbound travel for yachts from Guangdong, several facilitation measures have already been introduced by the Marine Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Electronic Business System for visiting yachts has been upgraded to enable online submission and preliminary vetting. A dedicated examination venue for yacht operators has also been established in Guangdong, and seven training institutions in Guangzhou, Jiangmen and Zhuhai, among other places, have been approved to provide training on local knowledge of Hong Kong waters. Nearly 300 Mainland yacht operators have so far obtained qualifications to navigate in Hong Kong waters, laying the groundwork for the implementation of the southbound travel for yachts from Guangdong.