Border points connecting to the mainland were flooded with Hongkongers leaving for the long Easter holidays with nearly 300,000 entries and exits recorded on Friday morning.
The Immigration Department expected earlier today to see the peak number of outbound travelers and estimated about 600,000 departures.
At 10 am on Friday, the department recorded some 282,000 visits and departures, including some 240,000 citizens traveling outbound. Among them, 95 percent were Hong Kong residents, amounting to about 228,000.
The Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chua ports, as well as the airport were the busiest border points used by Hongkongers.
Records also showed that a total of 639,000 people left town on Thursday, including some 526,000 Hongkongers.
The department called on travelers heading to the mainland to plan their journeys beforehand and to avoid crossing the border at peak hours.
The West Kowloon station was also crowded with families and guided tours. A citizen joined a tour to spend three days in Jiang Xi, while a family of five will be going to Chaozhou.
A third citizen expects to spend over HK$10,000 when traveling to Tibet.
Meanwhile at Sheung Shui MTR station, some citizens taking the East Rail Line complained that the trains were too packed and the ventilation was poor. Some even had some arguments over unwanted physical contact.
At the Hong Kong Port of the HK-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, *the waiting period for a ticket and coach is now expected to be two-and-a-half hours.
“The HZMB Hong Kong Port is very busy at the moment and there are a large number of passengers waiting for the outbound services of Gold Bus,” the Transport Department said.
“Gold Bus has strengthened its services to cater for passenger demand. Members of the public are advised to plan their journeys ahead, reserve sufficient commuting time, and be patient while queuing.”
Hong Kong United Times丨香港聯合時報丨HKUT 