Immigration Department Braces for 7.44 Million Border Crossings During National Day Golden Week

Hong Kong’s Immigration Department is preparing for what could be the busiest week of the year. Speaking late on 28 September, officials projected that a staggering 7.44 million passenger trips will pass through the city’s land, sea and air checkpoints between 1 and 7 October—up roughly 6 % on last year’s figure despite a slightly shorter holiday period. Traffic is expected to peak this coming weekend as both Hongkongers and mainland visitors take advantage of China’s National Day ‘golden week’ break. Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Shenzhen Bay will again be the work-horses of cross-border travel, but aviation links are also under pressure, with airlines adding ad-hoc frequencies to cope with outbound family traffic. Unlike previous peak seasons, the department said no checkpoint will extend its operating hours; instead it will deploy mobile e-Channel kiosks and surge staffing to cut queue times. For businesses the numbers matter. Retailers and hotels are counting on a mini-boom in footfall to lift third-quarter earnings, while logistics firms have been warned to expect slot constraints at cargo bays shared with passenger flows. Corporate travel planners are already advising staff to build extra transit time into itineraries and to avoid same-day Shenzhen meetings when possible. The forecast also doubles as a stress test for several infrastructure upgrades introduced earlier in the year, including facial-recognition e-Channels and real-time crowd dashboards. If the systems hold, officials say they will accelerate plans to roll out ‘seamless clearance’ at additional land ports before Lunar New Year, further smoothing mobility for frequent business travellers.