Ayra Wang Hong Kong welcomed about 980,000 mainland tourists during the first five days of the National Day Golden Week, reflecting a 35 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung. Kwok said he expects another surge in arrivals during Christmas and projected the total number of arrival and departure trips could reach 300 million this year, returning to prepandemic levels. Speaking on radio yesterday, Kwok said there were 220,000 arrivals on October 1 alone, marking a roughly 30 percent rise from the same period last year.
"Long queues were observed at checkpoints, tourist hot spots and popular restaurants, creating a lively atmosphere," he noted. He added that various celebratory activities initiated by the administration and other sectors received enthusiastic responses. Kwok estimated that around 1.
2 million mainland tourists will have visited the city during the seven-day holiday, consistent with earlier expectations. He said the Immigration Department has enhanced border-clearing procedures during the golden week, deploying staff to various ports to ensure smooth operations. Before the holiday, the West Kowloon Station checkpoint installed 19 self-service channels to alleviate congestion.
"The West Kowloon checkpoint is relatively small and can become crowded when visitors enter Hong Kong through this port," he said, adding that queue times for border clearance on October 1 were "largely shortened" compared t.