Peak arrivals

Ayra Wang and Adelyn Lau

Hong Kong saw a peak in inbound travel yesterday as the Immigration Department recorded more than 259,000 arrivals, more than 40 percent of whom were visitors.

The department said more than 550,000 passed through control points as of 4pm, of which over 293,000 exited and more than 259,000 arrived.

Nearly 150,000 Hongkongers returned, with the airport and the Lo Wu Control Point being the busiest.

A local named Chan arrived at the airport from Japan yesterday, saying that she caught the flu amid an outbreak and had to cut her holiday short.

"I planned to stay in Japan to celebrate the New Year. I'm disappointed but have to accept the fact;" Chan said.

Au and Lam, native Hongkongers who spent Christmas in Seoul, South Korea, said the atmosphere there was more lively, with shops remaining open late at night.

"We had spent many Christmases in Hong Kong and want to have a different experience elsewhere," they said.

More than 3.3 million Hongkongers left between December 21 and Saturday while some 864,000 mainland tourists traveled to the city - 21 percent of the total arrivals - according to the department's data. Many mainland visitors also arrived by high-speed rail yesterday - mostly looking forward to New Year's Eve.

"I will probably spend around three days in Hong Kong and visit Victoria Harbour. I also want to experience the local culture and see what it's like - and how it differs," said Zhang.

A traveler from Anhui said she planned to celebrate the arrival of the new year in Macau.

"Despite the impressive view of Victoria Harbour, I heard the queues [to the harbourfront] are long due to the New Year's Day holiday," she said.

Meanwhile, some hotels are confident about a bumper new year's business despite the government having announced a 3 percent hotel accommodation tax that starts on Wednesday.

Director of room sales and operations Mervyn Tam of Hopewell Hotel in Wan Chai said the tax will not deter customers.

Tam said the hotel, which opened a month ago, saw a 50 percent occupancy rate during Christmas and 70 percent of its rooms are already booked for Lunar New Year's Eve on January 28.

"I believe more customers will be drawn to Hong Kong after the Kai Tak Sports Park opens next year, as more concerts and major sports events will be held," Tam said.