Crowds continue to flood Hong Kong attractions despite outbound travel surge

Locals and visitors flocked to popular destinations across Hong Kong on the third day of the Lunar New Year on Thursday, despite official data showing a nearly 16 per cent increase in net outflow during the holiday period.Crowds began building up at about 10am at The Peak and Sha Tin’s Che Kung Temple, with authorities later reporting that footfall at the East Dam of the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung ranged between 500 and 999 visitors from around noon.According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s real-time updates, waiting times at about 3.30pm at the Tung Chung terminus of the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, the Central terminus of The Peak Tram and the Observation Wheel at the Central Harbourfront all exceeded an hour.All cross-harbour ferry services were also busy, with passengers waiting at least half an hour to board.In Central, long queues of mainland Chinese and overseas tourists wound around the underpass next to The Peak Tram terminus, where police officers were on hand to manage the crowds from Garden Road.Among those in the line was retiree Zhu Lingqin, who was visiting with six family members from Hangzhou. They booked a two-night stay at the Hopewell Hotel in Wan Chai, costing around HK$4,000 (US$512) a night.