Thousands of Hongkongers chase wanderlust over Easter holiday, with Japan most popular destination

Leading five destinations for city travellers are Tokyo, Taipei, Osaka, Bangkok and Seoul, according to travel platform
More children are joining tours over Easter than during Lunar New Year, say trip operators

Hong Kong reopens: life after quarantine

Rachel Yeo

Published: 9:00am, 6 Apr 2023

Why you can trust SCMP

After three years of not travelling since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, 25-year-old Hongkonger Mena Liu missed the feeling of stepping onto an aeroplane the most.

The software developer is in South Korea for 11 days from April 1 to 11 exploring Busan and Jeju Island during the Easter holidays, the longest break since all travel restrictions in Hong Kong were lifted.

Liu had yearned to travel since the city’s borders reopened and the government started gradually loosening strict Covid-19 rules, which included shortening quarantine periods and removing compulsory tests.

“I’ve wanted to travel since last year, but since I changed jobs recently, there weren’t any leave days for me to take,” she said. “I broadened my horizons in South Korea and felt excited and happy … I haven’t been on a plane in a long time, so I missed it.”

Hongkongers at the airport head off on their Easter break. Photo: Elson Li

Liu is among tens of thousands of Hong Kong travellers eager to leave the city over the tomb-sweeping Ching Ming Festival and Easter period.

The traditional Chinese festival falls on Wednesday, while Easter is from April 7 to 10. This means an office worker taking one day off will get a six-day holiday.

The most sought-after destinations for Hong Kong travellers during the spring holidays include Tokyo, Taipei, Osaka, Bangkok and Seoul, according to Expedia for Business president Ariane Gorin.

“It is worth noting that visiting Tokyo this spring is attracting high interest from Hong Kong travellers, at the same level as pre-pandemic,” she said.

Hong Kong tour operators warn of long airport waits to clear immigration in Japan

She added that the average length of stays for these top five destinations increased by 20 per cent compared to the same period in 2019, while mobile searches also grew by 40 per cent.

Steve Huen Kwok-chuen, executive director of travel agency EGL Tours, said trips over the Easter period were sold out two weeks ago.

“Parents were still more conservative in bringing their children to travel during the Christmas and Lunar New Year holidays. But, we are seeing more children joining the tours with their families over Easter,” he said.

Huen added that travel demand over the Easter period was now half of the pre-pandemic level, saying he hoped it would reach 70 per cent by the summer holidays.

Call to cap mainland Chinese budget tours to Hong Kong criticised as step too far

He said Japan was still the favourite destination for Hong Kong travellers, but mainland Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Beijing were becoming more popular and made up a quarter of their total outbound tours.

Since Hong Kong’s high-speed rail services to the mainland resumed, the Hunan province and the Chaoshan region in Guangdong province also gained travellers’ interest, he said.

Yuen Chun-ning, executive director of WWPKG, estimated his company would have about 120 tours over the Easter period, nearly twice as many as in usual months.

Like EGL’s Huen, his agency also saw more children join their tours and expected more of them during the summer break.

‘9 million to pass through Hong Kong border control points over festive period’

“Japan made up 60 to 70 per cent of total tours, while other places of interest include South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand,” he said.

Yuen added that tours to long-haul places, including Turkey and the Mediterranean, were also popular.

But Yuen noted there were still more outbound tours during the Lunar New Year earlier in January, which reached about 200.

He explained there was more airline seat capacity specially catered to travellers during that period, but not over Easter.

Hong Kong air passenger traffic surges 24-fold to 2.1 million

The Immigration Department earlier estimated more than 9 million people would pass through Hong Kong’s border control points from April 1 to 10.

It also predicted about 83 per cent, or 7.54 million, will enter and leave Hong Kong through land boundary control points.

The total estimate of 9.03 million passengers this year marks a significant increase compared with last year’s figures. Data from the department shows only 17,220 passed through Hong Kong’s border control points in 2022, while 25,499 left the city during the same period.

No training yet for new Hong Kong tour guides who speak English, other languages

During that time, Hong Kong and the mainland were battling the fifth and worst Covid-19 wave because of an Omicron outbreak.

But Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said there had not been a significant rise in tour groups from the mainland during the period because it was not a public holiday there.

According to the Travel Industry Authority, the city expects 304 inbound tours from the mainland from April 1 to 14.

It received 3,985 tours last month and 624 from February 6 to 28.