9m all packed to travel over holidays

Over 9 million people are expected to come in and go out during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays, the Immigration Department said, adding that more staff will be deployed.

Around 7.54 million holiday-makers are expected to pass through land boundary control points.

The number of outbound and inbound passengers using land boundary control points will be relatively high this Saturday and Tuesday next week with around 549,000 and 626,000 passengers respectively.

The department estimated that passenger flows at Lo Wu Control Point, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Control Point will be heavy, with a daily average forecast of around 220,000, 184,000 and 118,000 passengers respectively.

MTR will offer passengers HK$10 fare coupons after they have completed five trips in its train network from yesterday to January 1.

MTR mobile registered users can earn a HK$10 ride reward for every five rides taken with the same adult Octopus linked to their respective MTR mobile accounts on the MTR.

However, the reward is not applicable to Airport Express, journey to or from Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau stations, Light Rail, MTR bus, High Speed Rail and MTR feeder bus along the East Rail Line.

The Hong Kong Retail Management Association, collaborating with over 100 brands and over 3,000 outlets, will also roll out a "Festive Shopping Festival", providing discounts during the Christmas and New Year holiday.

That includes 40 percent off for a Christmas tree purchase at Japan Home, half price at Pricerite for selected furniture and HK$120 off orders over HK$1,000 at supermarket Wellcome.

"Festive Shopping in Hong Kong for Great Rewards" comes in two phases. The first phase is the "Christmas and New Year Edition" from December 19 to January 17, followed by the "Chinese New Year Edition" as the second phase from January 18 to February 29. Through this campaign, the association hoped to create a festive shopping atmosphere and encourage local residents to shop in Hong Kong while attracting visitors to engage in shopping and tourism during the holiday season.

Annie Tse Yau On-yee, chairwoman the association said the government's efforts in decorating multiple districts, organizing large-scale celebrations, and various local Christmas markets and booth activities can generate synergistic effects with the campaign.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board will give out the first batch of 100,000 "Hong Kong Night Treats for Locals" dining vouchers from 10am today.

Local residents can sign up for an account at the website (https://www.discoverhongkong.com/hk-eng/deals/night-treats.html) with their Hong Kong phone number to grab the first batch of coupons for free, with a value of HK$100 each.

The second batch of 100,000 coupons of the "Hong Kong Night Treats for Locals" campaign will be available from 10 am on January 10.

marcus.lum@singtaonewscorp.com