Hongkongers make 1.8 million trips out of city during Lunar New Year break

Peak period for Hongkongers returning to city after holiday expected to be on Sunday afternoon

Reading Time:2 minutes

Control points are expected to be busy as large numbers of people return from their holidays. Photo: Eugene Lee

Published: 7:09pm, 2 Feb 2025Updated: 10:32pm, 2 Feb 2025

Hongkongers made nearly 1.8 million trips out of the city in the five-day period around Lunar New Year, an 8.6 per cent increase compared with the same break in 2024, government figures show.

Meanwhile, mainland Chinese authorities reported a record number of vehicles had used the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge. More than 25,000 vehicles passed through the Zhuhai checkpoint on Saturday for the first time.

Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, said on Sunday that the catering industry had reported a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in business during the period, despite the rise in the number of residents leaving the city for the holiday.

“Though the inflow of people is less than the outflow, business has been [good],” Wong said, noting that more residents were eager to spend in the city and the inflow of tourists had also been “quite promising”.

“Especially at nighttime, we see a lot of people … in Tsim Sha Tsui and other tourist attraction areas,” he said.

The peak period for Hongkongers returning to the city after holidaying elsewhere was expected to be on Sunday afternoon. As of 9pm, the Immigration Department had recorded 606,068 arrivals and 371,122 departures. Among the arrivals, 423,639 were Hong Kong residents.