Cross-boundary travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland is about to experience its heaviest rush since the border fully reopened, as China’s National Immigration Administration (NIA) projects up to 2.4 million passenger movements per day during the combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day “golden week”. The forecast, issued at noon on 22 September, represents a 20 % jump on 2025’s peak and will test the capacity of land checkpoints such as Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau, Futian and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. The NIA expects an average of 2.25 million crossings a day during the Mid-Autumn long weekend (23-27 September) and 2.15 million during the National Day period (28 September-7 October). Peak days are forecast for 25 and 27 September, as well as 1 and 4 October, when daily volumes could top 2.4 million. In response, border inspection teams on both sides of the boundary have been ordered to open all counters, redeploy mobile clearance booths and publish real-time passenger flow alerts via popular social-media channels and the HKeMobility app. The surge coincides with a packed event calendar in the Greater Bay Area—ranging from Art Basel’s satellite fair in Shenzhen to the Macau International Fireworks Display Contest—adding a sizeable tourism component to the usual wave of family visits and business trips. Employers with cross-border commuters have been advised to expect morning queues of up to one hour and to offer staggered shifts or remote-work options where feasible. Travel-related businesses stand to benefit: coach operators have already sold out many late-evening departures, hotels along the East Rail Line are quoting rates 35 % higher than last year, and insurance firms report a 40 % spike in travel-policy enquiries. At the same time, the Labour Department has reminded companies to review overtime policies and ensure adequate rest hours for staff assigned to border crossings. For individual travellers, the best strategy is to avoid expected peaks and to use e-Channel or facial-recognition “touch-free” lanes wherever possible. Frequent travellers should also download the updated HKeMobility app, which now bundles real-time checkpoint wait times with MTR and High Speed Rail service alerts. The Immigration Department emphasises that passports and Home Return Permits must be valid for at least six months beyond the intended return date—a detail that caught out more than 300 passengers during last year’s holiday rush.
Source: TVB News
