Hong Kong’s border control points are already feeling the pressure of the mainland’s National Day “Golden Week” holiday, which officially begins on Saturday. According to figures released on 30 September, 105,000 mainland tourists entered the city on 29 September, contributing to a total of 442,155 arrivals that day. Immigration Department estimates foresee as many as 7.44 million passenger movements— in and out—between 1 and 7 October. The Lo Wu land checkpoint remains the busiest artery, processing more than 93,000 entries on Friday, followed by the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line with 81,000. To cope, the MTR Corporation has boosted East Rail Line frequency, while the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link will run additional high-speed services to Futian, Shenzhen North and Guangzhou South. Shuttle buses on the HZMB (“Golden Bus”) and the Lok Ma Chau–Huanggang route have been intensified to as little as one-minute headways during peak periods, and franchised B-route buses connecting border posts are running at higher-than-weekend levels. The Transport Department has launched a real-time information campaign through its “HKeMobility” app and the Security Bureau’s “e-Passage” portal, giving travellers live snapshots of queue lengths, bus wait times and road conditions around each land port. Operators have been instructed to deploy standby vehicles and extra staff to manage sudden surges. For corporates moving staff between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, the message is clear: avoid travel on the projected peak days of 3 and 4 October, when daily flows could exceed 580,000 each way. Employers are being advised to offer flexible working arrangements or remote-work options for cross-boundary commuters. Logistics companies are also rearranging fleet schedules to use off-peak windows, particularly for time-sensitive cargo that shares passenger halls, such as e-commerce parcels transported in small vans. Tourism analysts note that the early influx suggests pent-up demand after last year’s more cautious travel season, and they expect hotel occupancy to reach 90 percent in urban areas. Retailers along Canton Road and Causeway Bay have extended opening hours, but some smaller shops worry about labour shortages during overnight operations. Overall, the strong start to Golden Week is viewed as a litmus test of Hong Kong’s post-pandemic capacity to absorb mass tourism without compromising commuter mobility.
Source: Sing Tao Headline
