According to Immigration Department statistics, 156,313 mainland visitors entered Hong Kong on Sunday, while 165,669 arrived on Saturday, taking the total for the first two days of the break to 321,982.

Authorities have estimated about 600,000 tourists from across the border are expected to visit between Saturday and Friday.

Some 156,313 visitors from the mainland came to the city on Sunday, accounting for 38.4 per cent of the total number of arrivals at 406,614 on the same day. Meanwhile, some 132,486 tourists from across the border left Hong Kong on Sunday, with total departures at 395,919.

Official figures as of Monday 4pm showed 216,966 people arrived in Hong Kong, while 147,667 had departed the city.

Gan Xinyan, 20, an event management student from Chengdu University, intended to spend her last day in Hong Kong on Cheung Chau after a post on social media platform Xiaohongshu, or “little red book”, caught her attention.

“I’m not into shopping at all. I’m more of a foodie and I prefer travelling to a place where I can have a sense of how locals are living,” said Gan, who last visited Hong Kong three years ago.

“The giant mango mochi, fish balls and Ping On buns are my main targets as they are strongly recommended by social media and have great reviews. I also want to check out the Cheung Po Tsai Cave,” she said. Ping On buns are white in colour and believed to bring peace and safety.

Shops selling mango and durian mochis were among the popular spots for visitors, with dozens queuing up for the sweet snacks at one point.

More than 310,000 visitors arrive in Hong Kong as Labour Day ‘golden week’ begins

Gan, who arrived in Hong Kong last Friday, has so far gone on a hike at Castle Peak in Tuen Mun and visited Repulse Bay, the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui and the University of Hong Kong, as well as enjoyed street food in Mong Kok and North Point.

The Chengdu resident spent 8,000 yuan (US$1,157) on transport and accommodation for her trip to Hong Kong, which was paired with a three-day visit to the China Import and Export Fair in Guangzhou.

Ye Caiyuan, 26, a merchandiser from Chongqing, also chose to visit Cheung Chau after checking reviews on Xiaohongshu with his girlfriend. Both of them spent almost 11,000 yuan on a five-day trip to the city.

“My girlfriend is all about taking pictures and showing off on WeChat. We arrived on Sunday and visited Causeway Bay. It was just so crowded and we don’t really enjoy scrambling on the streets,” Ye said.

They spent about HK$500 (US$64) on souvenirs sold on the scenic island. Their haul included items themed after signature street snacks and the bun festival – a famed Cheung Chau tradition that will take place from May 23 to 27.

“We will probably check out Lamma Island tomorrow. We are only staying in Hong Kong for five days so we want to go somewhere unique instead of just the typical touristy spots,” he added.

Hong Kong gears up for 600,000 ‘golden week’ visitors but manpower worries remain

Some mainland visitors have also sought accommodation on Cheung Chau. A rental house operator, who only gave her surname as Chung, said tourists had decided to stay at her two-bedroom units for HK$2,000 a night.

“We rented out six houses to mainland tourists yesterday. People can enjoy the island by visiting the beach and sightseeing spots with their bicycles. They are just travelling in a different way compared with travellers staying at hotels,” she said.

On the busy Pak She Praya Road, which has many alfresco dining spots, seafood restaurant server Tang Hung, 52, said mainland visitors accounted for about 30 per cent of the eatery’s customers over the weekend, adding he was happy about the return of tourists.

Many tourists also flocked to Lamma Island. Yang Qi, 47, a massage parlour owner from Shenzhen, decided to indulge in seafood at Yung Shu Wan with his wife and friends who live in Hong Kong.

The couple arrived in the city on Sunday, their first visit in five years. They said they planned to enjoy their four-day trip by avoiding crowds.

“We just want to spend some time here to hang out with our friends. We’ve never visited an outlying island in Hong Kong before, so it’s going to be a different experience than staying at Tsim Sha Tsui the whole time,” Yang said.

Zhuhai-based salesman Jiang Giaquan, 21, and his girlfriend also chose to spend their break on the island.

110,000 mainland Chinese tourists leave Hong Kong on first day of ‘golden week’

The pair took a morning ferry to the destination and hiked all the way to Yung Shu Wan via the Lamma Island family trail.

“A post on Xiaohongshu said it was an easy hike. We finished in one and a half hours. The weather is nice and it’s less crowded than in Central,” he said.

Some businesses have reported experiencing a growth in revenue amid golden week.

Sun Hung Kai Properties’ 15 major shopping centres including Apm in Kwun Tong and wwwtc mall in Causeway Bay logged a year-on-year 30 per cent jump in footfall and a 25 per cent surge in business between Saturday and Monday.

“Travellers at shopping centres in tourist areas such as Tsim Sha Tsui, Yuen Long and Causeway Bay were decisive about spending,” said Maureen Fung Sau-yim, the company’s executive director.

“This included those who purchased luxury watches worth HK$150,000, a complete set of platinum skin care products worth HK$17,000 and 10 iPhones.”

Retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai said the industry had returned to almost 60 to 70 per cent of its business during golden week before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Additional reporting by Harvey Kong