Hongkongers made more than 1.4 million outbound trips over the Lunar New Year holiday, up 20 per cent from 2019, while the number of arrivals over the same period remained lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Immigration Department data released on Friday showed that from Lunar New Year’s Eve to the third day of the holiday, residents made 1.44 million trips out of the city, about 20.4 per cent more than the 1.2 million recorded in the same period in 2019.

By contrast, mainland Chinese visitors made 629,340 trips to Hong Kong over the same four days, a 12.8 per cent drop from the 721,955 recorded before the pandemic in 2019.

The number of arrivals by non-mainland visitors also fell by about 4.4 per cent over the same period.

Despite robust cross-border activity this year – including a significant share of locals travelling out and returning from holiday – the local tourism industry reported a cautious recovery, even as some neighbourhood and mid-priced restaurants continued to struggle.

The government earlier estimated that around 9.52 million passengers would pass through Hong Kong’s land control points from February 14 to 23, a 29.7 per cent increase than last year’s projection of 7.34 million over the period.

The latest statistics came as Hong Kong’s retail sector returned to modest growth after a prolonged downturn.