Tourists from mainland China walk along the harbour front in Hong Kong on March 13, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong saw a surge in visitor arrivals and departures on the first day of the Easter holiday on Friday, with the number reaching more than 750,000 people – 296,300 arrivals and 454,200 departures.

Despite the high volume of cross-border passenger traffic, the government reported smooth and orderly operations at all checkpoints

The daily visitor volumes at three checkpoints exceeded the 100,000 mark, data showed.

The Lo Wu border checkpoint handled 170,569 travelers and the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (Futian crossing) 134,604 while the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge saw 108,784 people crossing it, according to a Dotdotnews report.

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Of the three busiest border checkpoints, the Lo Wu checkpoint with the Chinese mainland registered 37,296 visitor arrivals and 103,273 departures while, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (Futian) recorded 49,402 arrivals and 85,202 visitor exits.

The Easter holiday this year marks the first long holiday after the lifting of all COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions in Hong Kong. 

Passengers are ready to board a bullet train heading for Hong Kong at the Shanghai Hongqiao train station on April 1, 2023. Long-distance high-speed train services between Hong Kong and some major mainland cities resumed on the day after a three-year hiatus. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

Despite the high volume of cross-border passenger traffic, the government reported smooth and orderly operations at all checkpoints. 

ALSO READ: Cross-boundary travel to peak during holiday break

The high turnout is being seen a positive sign for the city’s tourism industry, which has been heavily impacted by the pandemic.

As Hong Kong reopened and the world moved toward recovery, more people are taking advantage of the Easter holiday to travel in Hong Kong or to destinations in other jurisdictions.

This is an AI-assisted report.