The first day of mainland China’s three-day Mid-Autumn break (September 25) delivered a double-digit swing in cross-border traffic. Immigration Department statistics released on September 26 reveal total passenger throughput hit 1.10 million, up 23.7 per cent year-on-year. Inbound flows were led by 170,000 mainland visitors—26.9 per cent higher than 2025 levels—an early indicator that the upcoming National-Day ‘golden week’ could outperform government forecasts. West Kowloon Station processed 41,000 arrivals, while Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Shenzhen Bay admitted 36,000 and 32,000 respectively. Many travellers cited Hong Kong’s lantern carnivals, fireworks rehearsals and tax-free shopping as key draws. Outbound movements told a contrasting story: 655,000 departures were logged, of which 479,000 were Hong Kong residents—62.9 per cent more than the same holiday in 2025. Lo Wu handled 116,000 northbound trips, eclipsing all control points. Customs officers reported queues extending into the station ticket hall during evening peaks. The asymmetric traffic illustrates Hong Kong’s position as both a launch-pad for mainland leisure and a destination in its own right. Retail analysts warn that while visitor headcounts are recovering, per-capita spend remains uneven, pressuring small merchants. In response, the Travel Industry Authority has advised tour operators to stagger itineraries to avoid bottlenecks at core checkpoints and to remind clients of new e-declaration rules for duty-free goods. From a mobility-policy perspective, the figures reinforce calls for further digitisation of clearance processes—such as wider rollout of ‘contact-less’ e-Channel—to accommodate volatile demand without expanding physical infrastructure.
Source: on.cc
