Hong Kong’s border infrastructure passed a major stress test during the 31 December–4 January holiday, recording 950,000 inbound crossings—40 % more than a year earlier. Mainland residents accounted for 740,000 entries, buoyed by Beijing’s extended public-holiday schedule and streamlined online Health Declaration Codes.
To keep queues moving, immigration authorities opened 300 additional e-Channel lanes, extended operating hours at Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay checkpoints and activated an Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre staffed by Customs, Immigration and Police officers. Average wait times reportedly stayed below 30 minutes—reassuring news for corporates that rely on same-day travel between Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area manufacturing sites.
![Hong Kong Processes 950,000 Arrivals Over New-Year Weekend as Mainland Visits Jump 48 %]()
Hotel occupancy averaged 92 %, yet spend per visitor remained cautious, suggesting opportunities for mid-range accommodation providers and serviced-apartment operators catering to project teams. Airline OAG data show Hong Kong has restored 87 % of its pre-Covid mainland seat capacity, up from 63 % a year ago, indicating further upside for cross-border commerce.
For firms needing rapid visa support as travel rebounds, VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) streamlines application and renewal processes, provides real-time policy alerts, and offers door-to-door document handling—helping corporate travellers stay compliant while minimising administrative overhead.
Looking ahead, the Immigration Department plans to pilot facial-recognition e-gates capable of processing 60 passengers per minute before the Lunar New Year peak in February. Corporates should update traveller briefings to include new e-gate registration procedures and remind staff that PCR-test exemptions for frequent commuters expire at month-end unless renewed.
To keep queues moving, immigration authorities opened 300 additional e-Channel lanes, extended operating hours at Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay checkpoints and activated an Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre staffed by Customs, Immigration and Police officers. Average wait times reportedly stayed below 30 minutes—reassuring news for corporates that rely on same-day travel between Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area manufacturing sites.
Hotel occupancy averaged 92 %, yet spend per visitor remained cautious, suggesting opportunities for mid-range accommodation providers and serviced-apartment operators catering to project teams. Airline OAG data show Hong Kong has restored 87 % of its pre-Covid mainland seat capacity, up from 63 % a year ago, indicating further upside for cross-border commerce.
For firms needing rapid visa support as travel rebounds, VisaHQ’s China portal (https://www.visahq.com/china/) streamlines application and renewal processes, provides real-time policy alerts, and offers door-to-door document handling—helping corporate travellers stay compliant while minimising administrative overhead.
Looking ahead, the Immigration Department plans to pilot facial-recognition e-gates capable of processing 60 passengers per minute before the Lunar New Year peak in February. Corporates should update traveller briefings to include new e-gate registration procedures and remind staff that PCR-test exemptions for frequent commuters expire at month-end unless renewed.
