Hong Kong counts 5.4 million mainland-linked trips over New Year break, signalling Greater Bay Area rebound

The Hong Kong Immigration Department reported on 5 January that the city’s land, sea and air checkpoints processed 5,412,003 passenger movements between 31 December and 4 January. New Year’s Day was the single-busiest, with 1.18 million crossings. Notably, 741,652 of the arrivals—almost 14 percent of the total—were visitors from mainland China, up sharply from 502,237 a year earlier.

Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line were the two most-used land corridors, together handling more than 453,000 passenger movements on 1 January alone. Airport traffic also ticked up, helped by additional Cathay Pacific and Chinese mainland frequencies restored in the fourth quarter of 2025.



For global mobility and assignment managers the figures matter because Hong Kong is the primary gateway for expatriates rotating into projects in Shenzhen, Dongguan and Zhuhai. Increased throughput suggests better availability of same-day or short-stay travel options for client meetings, audits and plant visits across the Greater Bay Area. Companies relying on the “fly-in, fly-out” model should, however, keep an eye on peak-hour congestion: the Immigration Department had forecast 11.5 million border crossings for the combined Christmas–New Year period, indicating that daily flows could still rise further around Lunar New Year (9–15 February).

Practical tips: (1) remind travellers that Hong Kong’s electronic Health Declaration is no longer required, but standard landing slips remain in force; (2) ensure that holders of China’s new 30-day visa-waiver still carry proof of outbound transport when entering Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge e-lanes; and (3) budget extra time for rail transfers at West Kowloon Station, where exit formalities may lengthen during holiday peaks.