Hong Kong’s first day of 2026 delivered the city’s strongest single-day tourism performance since borders fully re-opened. According to preliminary Immigration Department tallies and interviews with industry stakeholders, 262,000 mainland Chinese travellers entered Hong Kong on 1 January—almost twice the 136,000 recorded on the same day in 2025. Legislator-hotelier Alan Chan attributes the surge to three mutually reinforcing factors: a three-day public holiday on the mainland, Beijing’s advisory against leisure travel to Japan following recent diplomatic frictions, and Hong Kong’s aggressive “mega-event” calendar that has turned Christmas–New Year into a city-wide festival.
The spike was most visible at the Lo Wu and Futian/Lok Ma Chau land checkpoints, which processed a combined 160,000 passengers despite operating on extended holiday hours. MTR Corporation added late-night East Rail services, while cross-boundary coach operators ran near-continuous loops to cope with demand. Hoteliers reported citywide occupancy exceeding 93 percent, with four-star properties in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay selling out five days earlier. Retailers selling luxury watches and cosmetics said same-store sales on 1 January were “better than Golden Week levels.”
If you’re planning a spur-of-the-moment visit to catch one of these headline events, VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork: the platform walks travellers through Hong Kong entry rules, China visas for same-day side trips, and even fast-track options for replacing lost passports—see https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/ for details and online applications.
![Mainland visitor arrivals to Hong Kong double on New Year’s Day]()
Tour operators are optimistic that the momentum will carry through the Lunar New Year period in February, but warn that staffing gaps—particularly for tour guides and coach drivers—could limit capacity. The Travel Industry Council has asked the government to bring forward the second-round quota of the Labour Importation Scheme for the tourism sector. Meanwhile, business-travel managers welcomed the higher foot traffic as a sign that corporate events scheduled for Q1 are likely to enjoy strong attendance.
From a policy perspective, the influx will test recently upgraded e-Channel and “Face Easy” biometric clearance systems. The Immigration Department processed over 88 percent of arrivals through automated gates, a new record that underscores the importance of continued investment in border technology. Authorities have signalled that further enhancements, including age-limit reductions for e-Channel use and additional lanes at the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus, could be announced before the summer peak.
For multinationals basing regional staff in Hong Kong, the data point confirms that the city’s connectivity to mainland consumer markets is recovering quickly. Companies planning incentive trips, product launches or board meetings can once again rely on sizeable hotel inventory and robust air-land links—provided bookings are locked in early during holiday periods.
The spike was most visible at the Lo Wu and Futian/Lok Ma Chau land checkpoints, which processed a combined 160,000 passengers despite operating on extended holiday hours. MTR Corporation added late-night East Rail services, while cross-boundary coach operators ran near-continuous loops to cope with demand. Hoteliers reported citywide occupancy exceeding 93 percent, with four-star properties in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay selling out five days earlier. Retailers selling luxury watches and cosmetics said same-store sales on 1 January were “better than Golden Week levels.”
If you’re planning a spur-of-the-moment visit to catch one of these headline events, VisaHQ can simplify the paperwork: the platform walks travellers through Hong Kong entry rules, China visas for same-day side trips, and even fast-track options for replacing lost passports—see https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/ for details and online applications.
Tour operators are optimistic that the momentum will carry through the Lunar New Year period in February, but warn that staffing gaps—particularly for tour guides and coach drivers—could limit capacity. The Travel Industry Council has asked the government to bring forward the second-round quota of the Labour Importation Scheme for the tourism sector. Meanwhile, business-travel managers welcomed the higher foot traffic as a sign that corporate events scheduled for Q1 are likely to enjoy strong attendance.
From a policy perspective, the influx will test recently upgraded e-Channel and “Face Easy” biometric clearance systems. The Immigration Department processed over 88 percent of arrivals through automated gates, a new record that underscores the importance of continued investment in border technology. Authorities have signalled that further enhancements, including age-limit reductions for e-Channel use and additional lanes at the West Kowloon high-speed rail terminus, could be announced before the summer peak.
For multinationals basing regional staff in Hong Kong, the data point confirms that the city’s connectivity to mainland consumer markets is recovering quickly. Companies planning incentive trips, product launches or board meetings can once again rely on sizeable hotel inventory and robust air-land links—provided bookings are locked in early during holiday periods.
