HK hits 298m travelers in 2024 near pre-pandemic level, expects 7.3m LNY travelers: Director of Immigration

The Immigration Department recorded some 298 million arrivals and departures in 2024, almost the same as pre-pandemic level of 300 million, Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung said in a year-end work report as he expects 7.3 million travelers will cross the borders during the Lunar New Year golden week.

Speaking in a press conference on Monday, Kwok also said a total of 7.3 million inbound and outbound travelers are expected at the city’s 13 border control points throughout the eight-day Lunar New Year holiday starting tomorrow (Tuesday) until February 4.

It is estimated the peak of border crossings will be Thursday (Jan 30), Friday (Jan 31) and Sunday (Feb 2), Kwok added.

“Our border capacity is enough to handle the large crowd of tourists and also travelers. But of course, we advise travelers to try to enter or leave Hong Kong outside of the peak periods, so that they will not have to queue at the control points,” he said.

As to his yearender report, Kwok said Hong Kong received more than 44.5 million visitors last year, up 30 percent on 2023.

Among the visitors, some 34 million were from the mainland -- up 27 percent, he said, attributing the surge to the government's promotion of "tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong" and the resumption of multiple entry endorsements for Shenzhen residents in December.

There were also 10.5 million visitors who came from other places, a 44 percent year-on-year increase.

Meanwhile, the department’s assistance to Hong Kong residents unit handled some 3,000 requests for help last year, with Kwok adding that most of the requests were related to Hongkongers losing their travel documents overseas, needing to be hospitalized, or fatal incidents outside the SAR.

A total of 17 Hongkongers trapped in Southeast Asian countries in fraud factories had returned to the SAR, Kwok said, while another victim will arrive here later today.

Kwok said the department plans to enhance its automated immigration clearance e-channel at Hong Kong International Airport in the third quarter of this year.

With face perception technology, he said citizens can achieve a “truly contactless” e-Channel experience as they return to Hong Kong after their trip, neither needing an HKID card nor showing a QR code to the e-Channel.

Kwok also said the department will announce details of expanding the eligibility of e-Channel to children under seven years old later.

“Therefore, parents should bring their children’s passports as their identification documents,” he said.

(Eunice Lam)