Hong Kong welcomed more than 100,000 mainland tourists on Sunday, the first day of the mainland’s nine-day Spring Festival break, as family groups and shopping parties streamed in by high-speed rail and coach. Officials project a combined 11.38 million arrivals and departures across all checkpoints between 14 and 23 February. (news.rthk.hk)
Travellers interviewed by RTHK praised the speed of new facial-recognition e-Channels at West Kowloon, saying formalities took “under 20 minutes”—far quicker than the hour they had budgeted. Hoteliers, meanwhile, report sharper price spikes than last year: rooms that cost RMB 800 on Saturday were quoted at 1,600 for Lunar New Year’s Eve.
![Mainland visitor rush kicks off; 11.4 million trips expected over festive period]()
For retailers and event organisers the implications are significant. Cathay’s Night Parade and the Victoria Harbour fireworks are expected to draw crowd numbers not seen since 2019, reviving demand for short-term staff and temporary work visas. Companies bringing in regional teams for product launches should secure hotel blocks early or consider serviced apartments in Kowloon East and the New Territories where vacancy remains.
Immigration authorities have activated “contingency counters” at Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay but urge employers to stagger staff travel and use the Contactless Smart Card enrolment system in advance to maximise gate options. Failure to plan could see business travellers stuck in two-hour queues on the peak return day, 22 February.
Travellers interviewed by RTHK praised the speed of new facial-recognition e-Channels at West Kowloon, saying formalities took “under 20 minutes”—far quicker than the hour they had budgeted. Hoteliers, meanwhile, report sharper price spikes than last year: rooms that cost RMB 800 on Saturday were quoted at 1,600 for Lunar New Year’s Eve.
For retailers and event organisers the implications are significant. Cathay’s Night Parade and the Victoria Harbour fireworks are expected to draw crowd numbers not seen since 2019, reviving demand for short-term staff and temporary work visas. Companies bringing in regional teams for product launches should secure hotel blocks early or consider serviced apartments in Kowloon East and the New Territories where vacancy remains.
Immigration authorities have activated “contingency counters” at Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay but urge employers to stagger staff travel and use the Contactless Smart Card enrolment system in advance to maximise gate options. Failure to plan could see business travellers stuck in two-hour queues on the peak return day, 22 February.
Source: RTHK (English)
