Hong Kong’s Tourism Board (HKTB) reported that from 15 to 20 February it welcomed 1.16 million visitor arrivals, 980,000 of whom came from mainland China—easily the largest inbound cohort since the SAR fully reopened in early 2024. The figures were released Saturday evening and immediately cheered by the city’s retail and hospitality sectors, which have struggled with currency-strength headwinds and shifting duty-free shopping patterns. (english.news.cn)
Peak-day crossings at Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau hit 405,000, prompting the Immigration Department to keep all e-gates open around the clock. Airport Authority Hong Kong added 48 charter slots to accommodate extra wide-body services from Shanghai, Chengdu and Hangzhou. Hoteliers report average occupancy of 88 percent, with five-star properties in Tsim Sha Tsui achieving ADRs surpassing pre-pandemic benchmarks. Luxury shopping districts saw foot traffic rise 30 percent year-on-year, though average basket size remained flat as travellers focused on experiential spending.
For global corporations, the reconnection carries two important implications. First, executives based on the mainland can once again schedule day-trips to Hong Kong’s financial hub without fear of quarantine-related disruption; Standard Chartered and HSBC both reinstated same-day board meetings that had been suspended for three years. Second, the visitor surge accelerates the demand for cross-border talent mobility. HR consultancies note a 22 percent uptick in enquiries for intra-company transfers to Hong Kong, citing the city’s deep capital pools and tax-friendly salary structures.
Companies wrestling with that cross-border paperwork may find external help invaluable. VisaHQ, for example, maintains an up-to-date China desk (https://www.visahq.com/china/) that streamlines visa and travel-permit applications for both Hong Kong and the mainland, offers courier pickups, and provides real-time status alerts—useful support for HR teams moving staff on tight timelines.
Policy makers are eager to harness the momentum. The SAR government has extended the ‘Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles’ scheme beyond the pilot quota, and is pressing Beijing to allow 144-hour visa-free transit privileges for third-country nationals who route through Hong Kong to mainland tech clusters. Should this materialise, mobility managers would gain a powerful new tool for moving staff between global headquarters, Hong Kong regional offices and mainland production sites.
Analysts caution, however, that infrastructure stress is real: footfall at the high-speed rail terminus exceeded design throughput by 12 percent on 18 February, causing intermittent e-gate slow-downs. The HKTB says it will deploy additional Mandarin-speaking volunteers during next month’s Art Basel fair, while hoteliers are urging Beijing to expedite work-permit processing so that seasonal staff from Guangdong can cross the border more easily.
