Vietnam, mainland China among top Lunar New Year destinations for Hongkongers

South Korea, Japan, Vietnam and mainland China are emerging as popular Lunar New Year destinations for Hongkongers this year, as residents take advantage of a calendar arrangement allowing them to enjoy nine consecutive days off by taking just two days of leave.

Travel industry representatives said the long break had “significantly stimulated” demand, with departures likely to reach a peak on February 14, just before the start of the holiday.

Moon Yau Moon-yee, assistant general manager at Sunflower Travel Services and vice-chairman of the Tourism Industry Employees’ General Union, said the demand for eight- to nine-day tours over the holiday had risen significantly.

“This year, office workers only need to take two days of leave to enjoy nine consecutive days off, which has greatly stimulated travel demand,” Yau said, adding that bookings for Yunnan province on the mainland had tripled compared with last year as travellers opted for longer itineraries.

Authorities said on Thursday that 11.38 million passengers, comprising both Hong Kong residents and visitors, were expected to cross the city’s borders from February 14 to 23.

The government did not provide a breakdown of outbound and inbound travellers but estimated that 9.52 million trips would be made via land boundary crossings, notably higher than the 7.34 million recorded over the same period last year.