Hong Kong’s Immigration Department processed 1.25 million inbound and outbound movements on 25 December—the busiest single day since the city scrapped pandemic restrictions in 2024. Lo Wu rail checkpoint handled the lion’s share, but every land, sea and air control point operated at full tilt, with mobile e-channel trucks deployed to keep waits under 30 minutes. Mainland visitors made up about 83,000 of the 457,000 arrivals.
The surge validates the SAR government’s forecast of 11.5 million cross-boundary trips during the combined Christmas–New Year peak. Retail analysts predict a 12 percent jump in holiday sales, helped by Beijing’s duty-free re-import allowance that lets mainland shoppers bring back high-end goods tax-free.
If you or your employees need help sorting out the right travel permits for these increasingly busy border crossings, VisaHQ offers a streamlined, digital application process and expert guidance for Hong Kong, China and many other destinations; their dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) centralises requirements, fees and turnaround times, reducing administrative headaches for companies and individual travellers alike.
![Hong Kong posts record 1.25 million border crossings on Christmas Day]()
Operationally, authorities opened all counters, ran overnight rail services and authorised 200 extra cross-boundary bus departures. Corporates that rely on daily shuttling of staff between Hong Kong and Guangdong reported minimal disruption but warned that hotel rates in Shenzhen spiked 18 percent.
For HR teams the data underscore the need for flexible work arrangements on peak travel days and for educating employees on pre-registering fingerprints for automated e-channels. Business groups seized on the numbers to renew calls for expanding multiple-entry visas for Guangdong residents, arguing that smoother flows would support Greater Bay Area integration.
Looking ahead, the Immigration Department will analyse choke-points before Lunar New Year in late January, when crossings typically exceed Christmas by another 15–20 percent.
The surge validates the SAR government’s forecast of 11.5 million cross-boundary trips during the combined Christmas–New Year peak. Retail analysts predict a 12 percent jump in holiday sales, helped by Beijing’s duty-free re-import allowance that lets mainland shoppers bring back high-end goods tax-free.
If you or your employees need help sorting out the right travel permits for these increasingly busy border crossings, VisaHQ offers a streamlined, digital application process and expert guidance for Hong Kong, China and many other destinations; their dedicated China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) centralises requirements, fees and turnaround times, reducing administrative headaches for companies and individual travellers alike.
Operationally, authorities opened all counters, ran overnight rail services and authorised 200 extra cross-boundary bus departures. Corporates that rely on daily shuttling of staff between Hong Kong and Guangdong reported minimal disruption but warned that hotel rates in Shenzhen spiked 18 percent.
For HR teams the data underscore the need for flexible work arrangements on peak travel days and for educating employees on pre-registering fingerprints for automated e-channels. Business groups seized on the numbers to renew calls for expanding multiple-entry visas for Guangdong residents, arguing that smoother flows would support Greater Bay Area integration.
Looking ahead, the Immigration Department will analyse choke-points before Lunar New Year in late January, when crossings typically exceed Christmas by another 15–20 percent.
