Thriving tourism at West Kowloon high-speed rail station as Lunar New Year holiday concludes

Queues of outbound tourists have been seen at the West Kowloon high-speed rail station as the mainland's Lunar New Year golden week holiday comes to an end on Tuesday.

According to the Immigration Department, border control points in Hong Kong recorded 146,000 crossings by 10 am. 

Of these, about 60,000 travelers departed the SAR, including 15,000 mainland tourists. 

The ports also welcomed 86,000 arrivals, with 48,000 being Hong Kong residents.

Fanny Yeung Shuk-fan, executive director of the Travel Industry Council, said that over 2,100 mainland tour groups visited Hong Kong from January 29 to February 3, bringing in more than 76,000 tourists, 70 percent of whom were overnight visitors.

A family of eight from Hangzhou shared that they spent six days in Hong Kong during the holiday, totaling HK$100,000. 

They noted that popular attractions like Disneyland and The Peak were crowded and congested.

Another tourist from Hangzhou, who visited Guangzhou, Macau, and Hong Kong over five days with his wife, said they followed recommendations from mainland social media platforms for popular spots during their stay. 

He expressed interest in exploring Japan or South Korea for future sightseeing trips.

Also, a tourist from Sichuan brought her children to Hong Kong to experience the festive Lunar New Year atmosphere, which she found vibrant. 

She spent a few thousand dollars during her four-day stay and considered the overall expenses reasonable, expressing a desire to return for a longer holiday to explore more attractions.

(Marcus Lum)