Hong Kong recorded over 5.42 million cross-boundary passenger trips during the city’s five-day Chinese New Year break, including nearly 830,000 arrivals from the Chinese mainland.

The daily average number of passenger trips was 1.08 million, including 166,000 mainland arrivals, surpassing the numbers recorded during the four-day Chinese New Year holiday in 2024.

Intangible cultural heritage experiences, firework shows, flower markets, street parades and other celebratory events created a rich festive atmosphere within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), generating enthusiasm for cross-boundary travel during the Chinese New Year.

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In the Chinese mainland, the Spring Festival holiday began on Jan 28 — Chinese New Year’s Eve. In a radio program on Sunday, Ma Ho-fai, chairman of Hong Kong’s Travel Industry Authority, revealed that over 1,600 mainland tour groups visited the city from Jan 28 through Thursday, comprising more than 58,000 people.

It is expected that during the mainland’s eight-day holiday, which ends on Tuesday, nearly 2,000 mainland groups comprising about 70,000 visitors will have come to Hong Kong — significantly higher than the pre-pandemic level, Ma said.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) has been operating at peak levels throughout the holiday. From Jan 28 through Friday, over 454,000 passengers and more than 69,000 vehicles passed through the Zhuhai Port of the bridge, representing a 22 percent and 32 percent year-on-year growth respectively. Hong Kong and Macao residents accounted for over 60 percent of the total passenger flow using the bridge.

On Friday alone, over 11,000 Hong Kong single-plated vehicles entered the mainland via the bridge under the Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles policy, breaking the single-day record since the initiative’s implementation in mid-2023.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in a blog article published on Sunday that this year’s festive atmosphere in Hong Kong has been notable, with an increase in crowd sizes at traditional tourist hotspots, shopping districts and large malls.

Chan also said that some of his friends within the catering sector had told him that their turnover during the holiday had risen by more than 10 percent, reflecting an improvement in consumer confidence.

Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said that the number of mainland tourists entering Hong Kong during the Spring Festival has already sufficiently proved that Hong Kong’s tourism industry is returning to normal.

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In addition to the traditionally popular tourist attractions, Chui suggested that more planned efforts should be made in 2025 to promote the coordinated development of retail and dining industries in more regions of Hong Kong.

The resumption of multiple-entry visa policy for Shenzhen residents has also had a significant effect on Hong Kong’s tourism landscape, he said.

The business and retail community should also consider how to boost tourist spending, as the fundamental role of tourism is to stimulate the economy, he added.

Contact the writer at fangxue@chinadailyhk.com