Return rush packs borders, airport

Hundreds of thousands of Hongkongers returned home on the last day of the Easter holiday yesterday, packing the airport, land borders and West Kowloon high-speed rail station.

By 4pm, more than 215,000 people had entered Hong Kong, the Immigration Department said, and more than 80 percent - 178,000 people - used land borders. Lo Wu, Lok Ma Chau and West Kowloon Station saw the most passengers.

A long queue of people heading back to Hong Kong was seen at the busiest control point, Lo Wu, in the afternoon, with mainland customs officers setting up steel barricades.

It took up to 30 minutes for people to cross the Lo Wu control point, while Lo Wu MTR Station and the East Rail Line platform to Admiralty were packed.

On the mainland's official train ticket-selling website, 12306, all 26 high-speed rail trains between Guangzhou and West Kowloon Station were sold out.

At the West Kowloon Station, a man named Wang chose to take a morning train to avoid the peak hour.

"There were so many people booking tickets on 12306, so I bought a ticket a week ago to ensure I could grab one," Wang said.

But after Wang left in the morning, the station's arrival hall was packed with passengers from 2pm.

A woman, Tam, who returned to Hong Kong from Guangzhou after visiting her family and sweeping graves, said the queue at immigration was full of Hongkongers.

She felt the immigration procedures and the mainland health declaration Black Code was complicated and hoped authorities could standardize the travel documents used when crossing the border.

By 4pm, more than 26,000 people had arrived at the Hong Kong International Airport. A man who flew back from Taiwan said it was his first trip since Covid and that he chose to return on the last day of the Easter holiday to make the most of his vacation.

"I requested three more days of leave so that I could have a 10-day holiday," he said.

"It was quite obvious that a lot of Hongkongers went to Taiwan during the four-day holiday as I often heard people speaking Cantonese next to me, especially at tourist spots like Shi-men Ting."

Another man, Lau, went to the United States to visit his friends. He is returning to the office today.

"I did some shopping at the outlets, but I went sightseeing most of the time," Lau said.

Some parents said they had to fly back yesterday to prepare their kids for school. A father, named Lau, said his family had a wonderful time in Taipei.

"There is still a week to go before my kids return to school, but unfortunately they have to go back home to finish their homework," he said.

The Immigration Department earlier estimated the 13 control points would see 9.3 million passengers on the first 10 days of April and that the peak period for passenger traffic - which was yesterday - would see over 519,000 people entering the city.

The city saw the most departures on Friday - 450,000.

Some residents had chosen to end their trip a day before the peak period - with 395,000 back in the city on Sunday. Some 25 percent used the Lo Wu port.

eunice.lam@singtaonewscorp.com