Hong Kong’s border check-points were humming on 1 January 2026 as 215,332 mainland residents crossed into the Special Administrative Region—102.5 percent more than on the same day last year, according to Immigration Department figures released on Friday. Total inbound visitor trips reached 664,338, up 25.6 percent year-on-year, underscoring the city’s accelerating tourism recovery.
Several factors lie behind the surge. First, the mainland’s three-day holiday has synced perfectly with Hong Kong’s slate of government-backed ‘mega-events’, from harbour-front drone shows to extended-hour shopping festivals. Second, worsening Sino-Japanese relations—Tokyo’s recent comments on Taiwan security drew Beijing’s ire—have prompted many mainlanders who might normally celebrate the New Year in Japan to switch to Hong Kong. Airlines responded by adding extra flights from Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, while the high-speed rail link from Shenzhen saw departures running at 95 percent load factors.
For businesses the implications are direct. Hoteliers report average daily rates up 30 percent on last year, and retailers of luxury goods are enjoying mid-double-digit sales growth driven by watch and jewellery purchases. Corporate travellers should expect higher room rates and limited last-minute availability through the end of the Lunar-New-Year period in mid-February.
![Mainland visitor arrivals to Hong Kong double on New-Year’s Day]()
For travellers who still need to sort out entry documentation—particularly those mixing Hong Kong with onward journeys to Shenzhen, Guangzhou or beyond—VisaHQ can take the hassle out of the process. Its China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers live updates on visa categories, required paperwork and processing times, allowing both leisure and corporate clients to secure the correct permits quickly and avoid unpleasant surprises at the border.
On the regulatory front, Hong Kong Customs confirmed that the ‘Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles’ scheme will pause new slot allocations for the next two weeks to prioritise passenger flow, a reminder that sudden policy tweaks remain common in this border-zone environment.
The bonanza also offers a window into evolving traveller behaviour: more than 40 percent of visitors entered using the e-channel facial-recognition gates recently installed at West Kowloon Station, illustrating how technology is shortening queue times and raising throughput without major infrastructure expansion.
Several factors lie behind the surge. First, the mainland’s three-day holiday has synced perfectly with Hong Kong’s slate of government-backed ‘mega-events’, from harbour-front drone shows to extended-hour shopping festivals. Second, worsening Sino-Japanese relations—Tokyo’s recent comments on Taiwan security drew Beijing’s ire—have prompted many mainlanders who might normally celebrate the New Year in Japan to switch to Hong Kong. Airlines responded by adding extra flights from Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu, while the high-speed rail link from Shenzhen saw departures running at 95 percent load factors.
For businesses the implications are direct. Hoteliers report average daily rates up 30 percent on last year, and retailers of luxury goods are enjoying mid-double-digit sales growth driven by watch and jewellery purchases. Corporate travellers should expect higher room rates and limited last-minute availability through the end of the Lunar-New-Year period in mid-February.
For travellers who still need to sort out entry documentation—particularly those mixing Hong Kong with onward journeys to Shenzhen, Guangzhou or beyond—VisaHQ can take the hassle out of the process. Its China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) offers live updates on visa categories, required paperwork and processing times, allowing both leisure and corporate clients to secure the correct permits quickly and avoid unpleasant surprises at the border.
On the regulatory front, Hong Kong Customs confirmed that the ‘Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles’ scheme will pause new slot allocations for the next two weeks to prioritise passenger flow, a reminder that sudden policy tweaks remain common in this border-zone environment.
The bonanza also offers a window into evolving traveller behaviour: more than 40 percent of visitors entered using the e-channel facial-recognition gates recently installed at West Kowloon Station, illustrating how technology is shortening queue times and raising throughput without major infrastructure expansion.
