The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region ‘s (HKSASR’s) is estimating that about 4.89 million travelers will transit through its air, sea and land control points during the coming Labour Day and Buddha's Birthday festival season (from May 1 to May 6). This effectively represents an increase of approximately 10.3 per cent over the similar period last year. Of them, about 76% or 3.74 million travelers will transit through land boundary control points.
The number of inbound travelers will reach its peak on May 1, 2014, Thursday, while that of outbound passengers numbering 333,000 passengers leaving Hong Kong will touch the maximum on May 2, 2014, Friday. Passenger transit will be heaviest at the Lo Wu control point, according to an official assessment and there will be about 1.58 million travelers, with a daily average of around 263, 000 passengers who will travel via this control point during the festival season. There will be similar heavy transition of travelers at other control points such as Shenzhen, Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and Lok Ma Chau.
In anticipation of this large numbers of passengers transiting through these control points, the Immigration department of Hong Kong has set up and arranged extra number of staff members at the different number of control points. It has also minimized the granting of leave to the concerned public-facing officers to better manage approval or authorization of applications.
In addition to all of this, the Police, the MTR, the Customs and Excise Department and the Immigration Department and Corporation are set to establish a central command centre at Lo Wu Control Point to ensure that necessary preparations are made and adequate facilities are set up. There are also the necessary requirements that alien visitors, including mainlanders should meet including holding valid passport and related visa documentation. And also, up-to-date information will be broadcast to travelers by the authorities through different channels including online computer software applications.
