Hong Kong became less crowded yesterday as a booming exodus on the first of the four-day Easter break saw more than 498,000 people leave the city.
Almost half of them - or 241,996 - left through Lowu, which recorded 343,454 people going both ways through the checkpoint by 10pm.
Lowu and Lok Ma Chau experienced the busiest cross-border traffic, with the latter registering 156,566 incoming and outgoing travellers.
At Chek Lap Kok airport, outbound travellers numbered 59,221, while 41,166 arrivals were recorded, with most extra flights going to Guangzhou, Bangkok and Osaka.
Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung attributed the high passenger volume, which he described as 'unprecedented' compared to the past few Easter holidays, to the continuing economic recovery.
He said the number of outbound passengers was up by 10 per cent, while the industry's turnover was up 20 per cent this festive season, with Taiwan and Japan the hottest destinations.
'The average tourists are willing to pay more on luxury travelling packages; perhaps they have made more over the year or they expect a salary rise soon,' he said.