Authorities are hoping measures to smooth the arrival of mainland visitors during next week's National Day break will prevent a recurrence of holiday chaos at the border and in hotels.
One hundred extra immigration officers will be on duty at the Lowu and Lok Ma Chau border crossings. At Lok Ma Chau, 33 counters, instead of the usual 26, will be open.
Tour agents in Hong Kong and the mainland will have to provide the Immigration Department with lists of their clients' names 24 hours ahead of their arrival to facilitate the speedy clearance of tour groups.
The agents also have to ensure hotel rooms are confirmed 24 hours before tour groups set off and are prohibited from using public cross-border buses, to avoid disrupting the journeys of Hong Kong residents.
At least 3.5 million people are expected to cross the land border between September 28 and October 1.
On May 1 - Labour Day - poorly co-ordinated arrivals of mainland tourists caused major border jams, notably at the Lok Ma Chau crossing point, where there were two-hour delays.
