Mainland Chinese to make 980,000 inbound trips to Hong Kong for Labour Day break

The number of inbound trips to Hong Kong by mainland Chinese visitors is expected to reach 980,000 for the coming Labour Day “golden week” holiday across the border, a 7 per cent increase from last year, with city authorities saying they will enforce environmental regulations around the clock at popular camping spots.

The estimate from the Immigration Department on Monday came as the government revealed it had stepped up measures for crowd control, transport and tourism in anticipation of a busier mainland holiday period from May 1 to 5.

Last year, Hong Kong recorded about 919,000 inbound trips by mainland visitors during the Labour Day break, according to official data.

Authorities said on Monday that they were preparing for higher passenger flows across land, sea and air control points, with additional manpower and transport capacity to be deployed during peak periods.

Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, who chaired an interdepartmental meeting on Monday, said the government would maintain close coordination with the travel sector and relevant organisations to ensure smooth operations during the holiday.

“The number of visitor arrivals is expected to increase … [and] the government will make good preparations for receiving visitors,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Travel Industry Authority and other sector leaders estimated that about 770 mainland tour groups would visit Hong Kong for the holiday.