Hong Kong’s Immigration Department reported 184,700 inbound and outbound movements as of 10:00 on 4 October, underscoring the city’s rebound as a twin-hub gateway for Mainland tourists. Of the total, 59,000 arrivals were Mainland visitors, most entering via Lok Ma Chau Spur Line or the High-Speed Rail terminal in West Kowloon. Departures were dominated by Hong Kong residents (58,000), many heading to Mainland cities through the airport and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Travel agencies say same-day leisure trips to Shenzhen malls and Hong Kong shopping sorties in return are back to 88 percent of 2019 levels. Business-traveller flows are also picking up: Cathay Pacific added four extra Guangzhou rotations for 4–6 October, and the Airport Authority expects corporate jet slots to exceed pre-pandemic highs for the month. Hotels on Hong Kong Island reported 92 percent occupancy for the first three holiday nights, driven partly by Mainland fintech delegations attending a regional Web3 forum. Cross-border commuters should note that e-gates on the spur-line will switch to “entry-priority” mode between 15:00-19:00 on 5 October to cope with the return peak; holders of APEC Business Travel Cards can still use the fast channel but should allow extra time.
Source: RTHK
