Hong Kong’s control points processed more than 1.08 million movements by 21:00 on the third day of the Lunar New Year, according to real-time figures released by the Immigration Department. Of the total, 558,000 were inbound and 526,000 outbound. Resident re-entries through Lo Wu topped 327,000, while more than 204,000 mainland visitors entered via West Kowloon High-Speed Rail. (news.rthk.hk)
The data confirm that cross-border rail has overtaken Shenzhen Bay Bridge as the busiest holiday gateway only 18 months after service frequencies were restored to pre-pandemic levels. For business-traveller programmes, this means Lo Wu and West Kowloon will remain potential choke points until planned e-gate expansions are completed in Q3 2026. Companies moving equipment or samples should factor in at least a one-hour buffer on either side of scheduled meetings in Shenzhen or Guangzhou.
![Immigration tallies 1.08 million border crossings by 9 p.m. on Lunar New Year Day 3]()
Meanwhile, nearly 170,000 mainland residents departed Hong Kong on the same day, indicating high turnover of day-trippers. Tourism academics caution that such short dwell times dampen hotel demand but strain transit infrastructure. They urge the government to deepen overnight-stay incentives—an area that could benefit corporate relocation programmes offering “look-see” trips.
The Immigration Department plans to release a full holiday clearance report next week, which will guide forward capacity planning for Easter and Golden Week.
The data confirm that cross-border rail has overtaken Shenzhen Bay Bridge as the busiest holiday gateway only 18 months after service frequencies were restored to pre-pandemic levels. For business-traveller programmes, this means Lo Wu and West Kowloon will remain potential choke points until planned e-gate expansions are completed in Q3 2026. Companies moving equipment or samples should factor in at least a one-hour buffer on either side of scheduled meetings in Shenzhen or Guangzhou.
Meanwhile, nearly 170,000 mainland residents departed Hong Kong on the same day, indicating high turnover of day-trippers. Tourism academics caution that such short dwell times dampen hotel demand but strain transit infrastructure. They urge the government to deepen overnight-stay incentives—an area that could benefit corporate relocation programmes offering “look-see” trips.
The Immigration Department plans to release a full holiday clearance report next week, which will guide forward capacity planning for Easter and Golden Week.
Source: RTHK
