The summer travel season has arrived, bringing a massive influx of mainland tourists to Hong Kong, crowding the streets across the city. According to data from the Immigration Department (IMMD), except for the black rainstorm on August 2, the number of mainland visitors to Hong Kong has surged sharply every weekend since last month. This past Saturday (August 9), over 200,000 mainland tourists entered Hong Kong in a single day, setting the highest record since the May Day Golden Week.
Yesterday morning, the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point was packed with mainland tour groups and independent travelers. Popular attractions in Hong Kong, such as both sides of Victoria Harbour, Tai Kwun in Central, and Hollywood Road, were also bustling with crowds. Industry professionals in tourism and innovation and technology suggest using technology to provide real-time updates on crowd conditions, allowing tourists to stagger their visits and improve their travel experience.
Immigration Department data shows that last Saturday, 204,607 mainland tourists visited Hong Kong, an increase of nearly 30% compared to August 2. On next day morning, many mainland families and tour groups also chose to come to Hong Kong, with the Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai port becoming a popular crossing point, including many group tourists holding tour flags.
"I came specifically to Hong Kong to see G-Dragon's concert at the AsiaWorld-Expo and planned to stay for two or three days. I didn't expect so many people to be coming to Hong Kong," said Lin from Shenzhen, who crossed through the Liantang port yesterday, mainly to attend the concert and also to tour Hong Kong.
Lin mentioned waiting in line for an hour to clear immigration. "It's Sunday, so crowds are expected, but if I had known this port would be so busy, I would have chosen another one."
Some parents brought their children, who are on summer vacation, to Hong Kong for a relaxing trip. Mrs. Zhou and her son waited over an hour to board the Star Ferry yesterday.
"Hong Kong is lively. We plan to visit Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui for photo spots. But today's weather is scorching, and with so many people, it feels a bit overwhelming, and there are queues everywhere," she said.
She acknowledged that the Star Ferry is a major Hong Kong attraction, so crowds are natural. "It's mainly congested near the gates, but after all, it's Sunday... there are just so many people."
The Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai port recorded 62,905 daily cross-boundary travelers last year on weekdays, exceeding its designed capacity of handling 30,000 tourist trips per day.
Low transportation costs lead to overcrowding
Sara Leung Fong-yuen, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Employees General Union, told Wen Wei Po that the port allows Hong Kong-licensed buses to pick up tour groups, significantly reducing transportation costs compared to other ports that only permit cross-boundary buses.
"For example, on weekdays, a bus from Shenzhen Bay to the city center costs about HK$1,800 to HK$2,000, while at Liantang Port, it's only HK$1,200 to HK$1,400—nearly half the cost," she explained. This advantage has attracted a large number of tour groups to choose the Liantang Port.
The boom in tour groups has boosted Hong Kong's tourism industry. To enhance the travel experience, Leung suggested that the Travel Industry Authority collaborate with the Immigration Department to share real-time data on the number of inbound tour groups, helping the department allocate staff in advance and open additional channels.
"The Travel Industry Authority has access to tour group information and can act as a bridge to coordinate with the IMMD and travel agencies to ensure smooth clearance," she said.
Scholar recommends real-time updates
Gordon Kee Wai-man, research associate at the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, noted that the government should use heat-tracking cameras and AI crowd-counting systems to monitor queue lengths and dwell times in real time. The data could be transmitted directly to the Immigration Department for dynamic management. Additionally, real-time clearance information could be pushed through Guangdong-Hong Kong-Shenzhen government mini-programs, offering parking space reservations and "optimal clearance combination plans" to help tourists choose the best crossing route.
Congestion isn't limited to ports; popular attractions like Tsim Sha Tsui, cross-harbor ferries, and The Peak are also packed. Kee believes that real-time big data observation and prediction would be more effective, but the government currently lacks specific coordination measures with transport companies and attraction managers. He suggested that the government take the lead in promoting data sharing and coordination.
Based on the characteristics of each attraction—such as size, nature, and hourly visitor capacity—a feasible reservation management system could be developed to optimize the tourist experience and enhance reception capacity.
"Mainland China's widely implemented attraction reservation system is worth learning from. Hong Kong could develop a convenient reservation system for popular spots to reasonably distribute tourists and ease crowding," he said.
(Source: Wen Wei Po; Journalist: Hong Zekai; English Editor: Darius)
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