Chinese mainland visitors made around 1.01 million trips to Hong Kong during the Labor Day holiday from Friday to Tuesday, a 10 percent increase from last year and surpassing the 2019 level, giving a boost to the retail, catering and hotel sectors.

The figure surpassed the government's pre-holiday forecast of 980,000 arrivals and marked the fourth consecutive year of growth, with 625,000, 766,000 and 919,000 trips recorded respectively in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Saturday, the second day of the five-day break, saw the peak in mainland visitor traffic — with over 263,000 arrivals and 250,000 departures recorded.the 

Lok Ma Chau Spur Line/Futian, Lo Wu/Luohu, Shenzhen Bay, and West Kowloon Station remained the most popular entry points for mainland tourists.

Data also shows that during the first four days of the holiday, tourist spending at K11 MUSEA — an iconic shopping destination in Tsim Sha Tsui — increased 1.25 times year-on-year, with the largest single purchase nearing HK$2 million ($255,000).

International luxury brands continued to see strong growth, with sales surging nearly twofold year-on-year, while watches and jewelry rose by nearly 90 percent.

The Hong Kong Restaurant and Tourism Industry Association said its member eateries in major tourist areas saw revenue increases of between 15 to 20 percent in the first three days of the holidays.

In the hotel industry, insiders said that overall occupancies at both small and large hotels reached 90 percent, with midrange and budget hotel room rates rising 10 to 15 percent year-on-year.

Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com