Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki today chaired a meeting of the inter-departmental working group on festival arrangements to co-ordinate and steer the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government’s preparations for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong at New Year.

Mr Chan said at the meeting as Hong Kong enters December's high travel seasons, various districts in the city are hosting special events, including a 12-minute New Year's Eve countdown fireworks display to be presented by the Tourism Board.

Highlighting that a notable increase in visitor numbers is expected during the New Year period, Mr Chan said preparations will be made to receive visitors. These include co-ordinating ancillary arrangements at boundary control points (BCPs), closely liaising with relevant organisations and the travel trade to ensure effective crowd management, and disseminating information.

He also encouraged Mainland visitors to stay overnight after participating in New Year's Eve activities in order to fully experience Hong Kong's charms.

The Hong Kong SAR Government has discussed an extension of BCP service hours on New Year's Eve with the Shenzhen Municipal Government. It is proposed that the passenger clearance service at Shenzhen Bay Port be extended overnight instead of finishing at midnight, and that the passenger clearance service at Lo Wu Control Point be extended from midnight until 2am.

The proposals have been referred to the national port authorities for approval, with details to be announced as soon as possible. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port and the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port will maintain 24-hour operation as usual on New Year's Eve.

Meanwhile, the Transport Department (TD) will make arrangements to enhance transportation services connecting various BCPs. This includes increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge shuttle bus, the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus and cross-boundary coach. A contingency plan will be formulated to establish dedicated passages at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port, the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port, and the Shenzhen Bay Port when necessary.

As for local public transport services, the MTR Corporation will extend its East Rail Line services to and from MTR Lo Wu Station, and the majority of MTR lines will run overnight on New Year's Eve. Furthermore, bus services will be arranged between Sheung Shui MTR Station and San Tin Yellow Bus Station to allow passengers using the East Rail Line to cross the boundary via the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port, which operates round the clock, after the end of services to the Lo Wu Control Point.

An Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre set up by Police, the Immigration Department, the Customs & Excise Department and other relevant departments will be activated from December 21 to January 1 to monitor the real-time situation at various control points.

The centre will maintain close liaison with Mainland port authorities and take timely contingency actions to flexibly deploy manpower at BCPs.

Moreover, the Security Bureau will activate the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre in a timely manner to closely monitor and co-ordinate public order at BCPs and facilitate inter-departmental follow-up actions where necessary in case of emergencies.

The TD’s Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre will operate 24 hours a day. It will closely monitor traffic conditions and public transport services in all districts, as well as at BCPs and major stations across Hong Kong, take prompt measures to address service demands, and disseminate the latest traffic updates through various channels.

Police will hold a press conference later this month to provide detailed information on crowd management and special traffic arrangements for the New Year's Eve countdown fireworks.