More Hongkongers choosing Easter breaks in mainland China over Japan

Warnings about potential massive earthquakes in Japan have Hongkongers looking at holiday destinations elsewhere, tour agencies say

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Tourists visit the Yadan landform, a landscape formed by wind erosion, in the Xinjiang region. Photo: Imaginechina

Published: 1:00pm, 16 Apr 2025

Hongkongers are choosing destinations in mainland China including Greater Bay Area cities and western regions such as Xinjiang and Tibet for Easter getaways over Japan because of earthquake concerns, industry leaders have said.

High-speed rail tickets are already sold out for many mainland destinations three days ahead of the holiday weekend.

Certain travel agencies have reported a 30 per cent jump in the number of Hongkongers travelling to the mainland for Easter, while Japan tour groups have dropped by as much as half compared with last year.

Some airlines have already cut flights to Japan, among the top holiday destinations for city residents. Hong Kong Airlines said it would “make slight reductions” to flight frequencies on services to Fukuoka, Nagoya and Sapporo from May to June with affected passengers to be told about alternatives or refunds. It also apologised to passengers.

Authorities on Monday said an expected 6.04 million trips would be made through the city’s border control points from Thursday to next Monday. Outbound travel is forecast to peak on Friday, with about 759,000 trips.

The expected 6 million trips is significantly higher than last year’s figures, when 4.5 million people travelled through the city’s checkpoints over the five-day break from March 28 to April 1.