Aggregate mobility over the 1–3 January mainland holiday reached a staggering 3.2 million inbound and outbound movements through Hong Kong’s air, sea and land checkpoints, according to preliminary Immigration Department figures released to Chinese state media . Of these, 1.63 million were entries, with Lo Wu (620 k) and Futian/Lok Ma Chau (570 k) recording the heaviest traffic.
The numbers confirm that cross-border travel has normalised to roughly 85 % of pre-pandemic 2019 levels. More than one million of the travellers were mainland tourists, lured by large-scale events such as the “2026 Hong Kong Dragon-Lion Festival” and discounted luxury-retail promotions.
Industry bodies praised immigration officers for keeping average clearance times under 20 minutes despite surges. Additional shuttle buses and MTR intercity services, funded under the Greater Bay Area Transport Facilitation Scheme, were key to smoothing passenger flows.
![Three-Day Holiday Sees 3.2 Million Cross-Border Movements, Government Reports]()
For travellers keen to avoid last-minute paperwork headaches before the next peak, VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers a one-stop solution, aggregating up-to-date visa requirements for over 200 destinations and providing courier pickup, online tracking and expedited submissions.
Retailers and F&B operators in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay reported 20-30 % sales bumps, while hotel occupancy city-wide averaged 93 %. The Hong Kong Tourism Board said the data would strengthen its case for more charter flights and cruise-ship calls during the Lunar New Year peak next month.
For companies managing cross-border commuters, the figures highlight the need to stagger duty travel or adopt hybrid-work arrangements whenever major mainland holidays coincide with Hong Kong working days.
The numbers confirm that cross-border travel has normalised to roughly 85 % of pre-pandemic 2019 levels. More than one million of the travellers were mainland tourists, lured by large-scale events such as the “2026 Hong Kong Dragon-Lion Festival” and discounted luxury-retail promotions.
Industry bodies praised immigration officers for keeping average clearance times under 20 minutes despite surges. Additional shuttle buses and MTR intercity services, funded under the Greater Bay Area Transport Facilitation Scheme, were key to smoothing passenger flows.
For travellers keen to avoid last-minute paperwork headaches before the next peak, VisaHQ’s Hong Kong portal (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) offers a one-stop solution, aggregating up-to-date visa requirements for over 200 destinations and providing courier pickup, online tracking and expedited submissions.
Retailers and F&B operators in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay reported 20-30 % sales bumps, while hotel occupancy city-wide averaged 93 %. The Hong Kong Tourism Board said the data would strengthen its case for more charter flights and cruise-ship calls during the Lunar New Year peak next month.
For companies managing cross-border commuters, the figures highlight the need to stagger duty travel or adopt hybrid-work arrangements whenever major mainland holidays coincide with Hong Kong working days.
