Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki today chaired an interdepartmental working group meeting to co-ordinate government-wide preparatory efforts for the Chinese New Year Golden Week.

According to the Immigration Department’s estimates, 1.43 million Mainland visitors will visit Hong Kong during the nine-day holiday, which runs from February 15 to 23.

Compared with last year’s golden week, the daily average visitor arrivals are expected to increase by about 6%.

An estimated 2,200 inbound tour groups will visit Hong Kong over the holiday, with daily averages significantly higher compared to the Mainland’s Labour Day and National Day Golden Week last year.

Mr Chan stated that the Government is committed to providing a high-quality visitor experience. Key efforts include streamlining public transportation and boundary control points (BCPs), while maintaining close liaison with the travel trade to ensure effective crowd management and timely information dissemination.

Following a review of current circumstances and discussions with Mainland authorities, the Government has decided to maintain the existing operating hours at the BCPs during the Chinese New Year holiday. The Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Port will continue 24-hour operations as usual.

The MTR Corporation will significantly enhance East Rail Line services at various times between February 13 and 23. Additionally, most local railway lines will provide overnight services on Lunar New Year’s Eve.

Services on the relevant railway lines will be boosted after the Night Parade on February 17 and the Fireworks Display on February 18 to accommodate residents and visitors. 

Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung, Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law, Under Secretary for Transport & Logistics Liu Chun-san, Under Secretary for Environment & Ecology Diane Wong and representatives from other relevant government departments also attended the meeting.