Hong Kong marks start of Lunar New Year with surge of visitors

South China Morning PostEN 1 min read 100% complete by Fiona ChowFebruary 18, 2026 at 09:11 AM

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Hong Kong welcomed 10.4% more visitors on the first day of Lunar New Year compared to last year, with a total of 153,383 arrivals recorded by the Immigration Department. Of these, over 120,000 came from mainland China. Inbound trips over the first two days of Lunar New Year totaled 265,140, representing a 7.8% rise from the same period last year. Authorities expect 1.43 million visitors from the mainland during the holiday, up by 6% from last year. The city has seen a surge in arrivals from both the mainland and overseas, with a total of 816,522 visitors over the past five days. Heavy traffic was observed on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, with crowded bus stops at border crossings.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Macau 30% South China Morning Post 40% Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge 50% Immigration Department 60% Mainland China ×370% Lunar New Year ×480% Hong Kong ×390%

Keywords

lunar new year 100% hong kong 90% visitors 80% tourism 70% mainland china 70% border crossing 60% holiday travel 50% immigration department 50% traffic 40%