Golden Week Brings 1.6 Million Visitors to Hong Kong, Testing Post-Pandemic Border Capacity

An interdepartmental working group reported on 8 October that Hong Kong welcomed roughly 1.6 million arrivals during mainland China’s National Day Golden Week (1–7 October), with mainland tourists accounting for 1.41 million of the total. The influx exceeded 2025 numbers by more than 12 percent, suggesting that travel demand has fully rebounded to pre-pandemic levels. Peak-day traffic on 3 October saw 275,000 entries through land checkpoints, highlighting the importance of the imminent Huanggang Port upgrade to prevent bottlenecks. Retail and hospitality operators recorded double-digit sales growth; a major shopping-mall group said footfall in tourist districts was up 28 percent year-on-year. While the surge is positive for the economy, crowding at border points re-ignited calls from the tourism industry for staggered arrival slots and real-time checkpoint congestion data. Transport analysts noted that the existing Lok Ma Chau control point operated at 95 percent of its theoretical capacity on two consecutive evenings. With the East Rail Line and cross-boundary coach services running at maximum frequency, the government deployed 2,300 additional staff to manage passenger flows. No major incidents were reported, but the Security Bureau’s after-action report recommends accelerating e-channel enrolment drives ahead of year-end peak travel. For global-mobility and assignment teams, the Golden Week data provide a useful benchmark of inbound tourist volumes that may affect hotel availability and taxi queues during future Chinese holidays. Firms scheduling relocation look-and-see trips should avoid the first week of October or build in extra transit time.