Hong Kong saw 292,009 visitors, including 225,921 from the Chinese mainland or more than 77 percent of the total arrival, during New Year's Eve and the first day of the new year, Immigration Department statistics show.
Around 220 mainland inbound tour groups visited the city during the New Year's Eve and New Year holidays, involving around 7,200 visitors, with around 72 percent engaging in overnight itineraries, according to the Travel Industry Authority.
A large number of visitors went to major tourist attractions across Hong Kong, including Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park, Ngong Ping 360, the Peak Tram, and the West Kowloon Cultural District, said an interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements.
A variety of celebratory events also took place across the city during the New Year period, creating a vibrant festive atmosphere for both visitors and residents.
The working group said all major tourist spots operated with high patronage and were in good order, and the visitors were generally in good order.
On New Year's Eve, the Immigration Department recorded total 156,366 visitors through the city’s sea, land, and air control points. Among them, there were 119,631 visitors from the mainland, representing 77 percent of the total arrivals. Total 317,739 Hong Kong residents also returned home that day.
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Total 135,643 visitors, including 106,290 from the mainland, arrived in the city on the first day of the year, when 393,197 Hong Kong residents also returned.
During the period from midnight to 6:30 am on Jan 1, around 25,000 mainland visitors departed Hong Kong via land boundary control points.
At the end of the day, 199,114 visitors left Hong Kong, including 151,652 from the mainland, the data showed.
The New Year's Eve countdown fireworks display at Victoria Harbour attracted over 400,000 spectators.
In view of the New Year's Eve countdown fireworks display, the HKSAR government and relevant departments of Guangdong and Shenzhen Municipality implemented two special boundary-crossing arrangements to facilitate the passenger flow between Hong Kong and the mainland.
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With the extension of operating hours at certain boundary control points, the relevant departments deployed additional manpower and operated all clearance counters and channels during the peak periods of cross-boundary travel to divert passenger and vehicular flow.
The overall operation of the control points and traffic was smooth and in order, said the interdepartmental working group.
Total 14 trains departing from Admiralty were operated to enable travelers to cross the boundary using the Lo Wu Control Point. Thereafter, KMB operated the special route no. N73 connecting MTR Sheung Shui Station and the Lok Ma Chau (San Tin) Public Transport Interchange.
Three buses were arranged for picking up passengers concurrently during the service peak with the headway reduced to two minutes for more effective dispersal. Travelers then transferred to the overnight Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus for returning to Shenzhen via the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port.
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The services of short-haul cross-boundary coaches and special overnight bus routes connecting to boundary control points were also strengthened.
Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki, who leads the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, thanked relevant government departments, organizations, and sectors for their close collaboration and full commitment in making comprehensive preparation and actual handling for receiving visitors during the New Year's Eve and New Year holidays.
