19th March 2023 – (Hong Kong) Since the full reopening of the border between Hong Kong and mainland China on 3rd March, coupled with the Hong Kong government’s announcement of the lifting of the mask mandate from 1st March, more and more mainland Chinese tourists have been flocking to Hong Kong for leisure. The Hong Kong Immigration Department announced today that the number of mainland Chinese visitors to Hong Kong reached 102,458 yesterday, marking the first time that daily visitor arrivals from mainland China exceeded 100,000 since the border reopening.
According to statistics, since the full reopening of the border, the three busiest entry points for mainland Chinese visitors to Hong Kong are the Lo Wu Port, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Port, and the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High Speed Rail (HSR). Since the resumption of operation of the Hong Kong section of the HSR on January 15, the number of mainland Chinese visitors to Hong Kong by HSR has exceeded 430,000. It is expected that with the full resumption of long-distance services of the Hong Kong section of the HSR from April 1 and the connection to long-distance stations outside Guangdong Province, Hong Kong will see an even higher influx of visitors.
The Immigration Department also pointed out that since the orderly border reopening between Hong Kong and mainland China on January 8, the number of mainland Chinese visitors to Hong Kong has been steadily increasing. After the full border reopening on March 3, the growth rate has significantly accelerated. Many popular shopping districts and stores in Hong Kong, including Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui and the shopping district in Causeway Bay, have seen an increase in foot traffic, indicating a revival of the retail industry.