Hong Kong Sees Heavy Border Traffic on Third Day of Labour Day Golden Week

Nearly 190,000 travellers had passed through Hong Kong’s border checkpoints by 10am on Sunday, as the city marked the third day of the Labour Day Golden Week holiday.

According to the Immigration Department, total passenger traffic reached around 189,000 by that time, including approximately 60,000 mainland visitor arrivals and 42,000 departures by Hong Kong residents. West Kowloon Station was the most popular entry point for mainland tourists, while the Lo Wu checkpoint recorded the highest number of Hong Kong residents leaving the city.

The department had earlier forecast that total passenger traffic during the five-day Golden Week period (May 1–5) would reach about 6 million, with roughly 5 million of those movements occurring at land boundary control points. Saturday marked the outbound peak, with approximately 636,000 departures recorded, while Sunday was projected to be the busiest day for inbound travel, with an expected 688,000 arrivals.

Major land checkpoints, including Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line, and Shenzhen Bay, are handling the bulk of the traffic. The Immigration Department, in coordination with mainland authorities, has implemented various measures such as additional staffing and enhanced transport services to manage the anticipated crowds.

The surge reflects strong cross-border travel demand during the mainland’s Labour Day holiday, with authorities urging travellers to check real-time wait times via official apps and plan journeys accordingly to avoid long queues.

This year’s Golden Week is expected to see robust visitor numbers to Hong Kong, contributing to a busy period for tourism and transportation sectors.