Hong Kong logs 98,000 mainland Chinese visitors amid pre-New Year’s Eve travel

Hong Kong welcomed more than 98,000 visitors from mainland China on Sunday, a 16 per cent increase year on year, while one bus operator expected a spike in demand for overnight cross-border services on New Year’s Eve.

On Sunday, 98,912 mainland residents arrived in the city, up from the 84,821 on the same day last year, according to official data released on Monday. The border crossing at the Lok Ma Chau spur line recorded the biggest increase in visitors, accounting for 6,000 out of the more than 14,000.

Paul Tse Wai-chun, deputy chief operating officer of Eternal East Cross-Border Coach Management, estimated on Monday that demand for cross-border bus services on January 1 would increase by about 10 to 15 per cent after the multi-entry scheme was revived earlier this month.

The resumption of the multi-entry scheme allows Shenzhen residents to make unlimited trips to Hong Kong within a year, with each stay capped at seven days.

Tse’s company operates direct cross-border bus services from the West Kowloon Cultural District to Shenzhen Bay.

He expected between 30 and 40 trips from midnight to 6am on Wednesday, with the peak hour for border-crossing by bus to be between 1.30am and 2.30am after MTR services had ended.