Hong Kong’s inter-departmental working group on festival arrangements has confirmed that the city received roughly 1.6 million visitors between 1 and 7 October. Mainland Chinese residents represented 1.41 million of the total, surpassing the government’s pre-holiday forecast of 1.29 million despite the 2026 break being one day shorter than last year’s. All major land checkpoints operated extended hours, and the Immigration Department activated contingency plans that opened additional e-channels when queues exceeded 30 minutes. Retail groups report that flagship malls in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay recorded double-digit sales growth compared with 2025, while hotel average daily rates climbed 9 percent. The influx will be welcomed by corporates with regional headquarters in Hong Kong, many of which rely on a steady pipeline of mainland visitors for client meetings and training events. However, local transport operators warned that the unexpected surge stretched some light-rail services, prompting calls for better demand modelling when the revamped Huanggang joint-clearance port comes online later this month. Hong Kong Tourism Board officials said they will review the data to refine promotional campaigns aimed at high-spending mainland segments ahead of the Lunar New Year peak.
Source: news.gov.hk
