1 million leave Hong Kong on first 2 days of July 1 long weekend while 248,000 arrive
- Figure underlines growing trend of residents leaving city for holidays
Hong Kong residents made more than a million trips out of the city on the first two days of the July 1 long weekend, while some complained that local merchants’ one-day-only discounts were not compelling enough to make them stay.
The numbers underline a growing trend of more Hongkongers crossing the border into mainland China for bargain shopping and leisure activities, posing new challenges for local retailers and restaurants.
On Sunday, residents made 483,517 trips out of the city, according to the Immigration Department. Saturday’s figure of 553,511 marked the second-highest daily number since the lifting of Covid-related travel restrictions.
The highest post-pandemic figure was recorded on March 29 this year, on Good Friday when 700,808 residents left the city.
The number of departures at the start of the weekend before the 27th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule on July 1 significantly exceeded last year’s 364,167.
Of the 1,037,028 residents who left the city on Saturday and Sunday, at least 89 per cent – or 918,821 – headed to different parts of the mainland via the high-speed railway or other land crossings. Over the two days, more than 88,000 left the city by air.