China News Service, Hong Kong, April 1 (Reporter Liu Dawei) April 1 is the last day of the Easter holiday in Hong Kong. Starting from the afternoon of that day, Hong Kong citizens who went on vacation began to return to Hong Kong, and various ports ushered in a peak return journey.
The Hong Kong Immigration Department (Immigration Department) responded to inquiries from China News Service reporters that as of 21:00 that day, approximately 799,000 people entered or exited Hong Kong through various ports. There were approximately 492,000 arrivals, of which approximately 426,000 were Hong Kong residents. The largest number of arrivals was through the Luo Wu Port that day, followed by the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line (Futian) Port, Hong Kong International Airport and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
A reporter checked on the high-speed rail ticketing software earlier on the 1st and learned that all trains ending in Hong Kong that day showed "sold out." When the reporter arrived at Hong Kong West Kowloon Station at about 20:00, he observed that there had been many "fluxes" of people returning to Hong Kong in the station. For this reason, the high-speed rail station deployed extra manpower to guide passengers on the escalators and entrances. Citizens also lined up at public transport interchanges such as subway stations and bus stops near West Kowloon Station.
Ms. Chen, a citizen, traveled to Shenzhen, Guangzhou and other places during the holidays and arrived in Hong Kong by train at about 20:30 on the 1st. During the interview, she was waiting for the train home at the subway station, next to her "fully loaded" suitcase after shopping "up north". She told reporters that since the comprehensive "customs clearance" between Hong Kong and the mainland, she has become a member of the consumer army "going north". Shenzhen's diverse shopping options and cheaper prices are the main reasons for her choice to "go north". For example, she said that she spent a day in Shenzhen "eating hot pot, watching movies, and getting massages" and bought some snacks to take back to Hong Kong. The cost was only about half of what she would have spent in Hong Kong.
Mr. Zhou, a citizen, took advantage of the holiday to go to Zhongshan via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to worship his ancestors. He told reporters that this year’s Tomb-Sweeping Day holiday in the mainland is from April 4 to 6, but the Tomb-Sweeping Day holiday in Hong Kong is only one day, April 4. Fortunately, the Easter holiday is close to the weekend, so he and his family can return to his hometown early to pay homage to his ancestors, sweep their tombs, and remember their ancestors. He noticed that many citizens also joined tour groups during the holidays and went to the mainland to enjoy the scenery.
On the same day, many citizens chose to return to Hong Kong early to avoid waiting too long to cross the border.
Luohu Port, where the largest number of people heading north have passed through in recent days, saw an increase in the number of people in the afternoon. The MTR Corporation said that it has deployed additional manpower at the port starting from this afternoon to cope with the peak of passengers taking the East Rail Line.
The Shenzhen Bay Port has also increased manpower and gate arrangements to facilitate citizens' crossing. Buses to and from the port have also been operated with extra frequency, and police officers have set up queuing positions at taxi stations to cope with the crowds.
According to the Immigration Department, in the three days before the Easter holiday (March 29 to 31), approximately 3.336 million people entered or exited Hong Kong through various ports. Among them, Huanggang, Futian and other ports have experienced a new high in single-day inbound and outbound passenger traffic since the resumption of comprehensive "customs clearance". (over)