Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
Following is a question by Dr the Hon Dennis Lam and a reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (July 16):
Question:
It has been reported that the number of Mainland visitors to Hong Kong in April this year grew by 13 per cent year-on-year. In response to my question in January last year, the Government indicated that it would maintain close liaison with Mainland authorities regarding the extension of operating hours at boundary control points (BCPs) during major festive periods. Subsequently, the Government also indicated that it would further review whether immigration clearance hours at certain BCPs on weekdays would be extended. On managing passenger flow at land BCPs, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) given that several large-scale concerts have been held on the same day in recent months, resulting in large crowds of visitors crossing the border via the Lok Ma Chau Control Point after the events, with the flow of people continuing into the early hours, whether the Government will consider extending immigration clearance hours at the Lo Wu Control Point until 2am the following day on days when large-scale concerts take place, and correspondingly extending the service hours of the MTR East Rail Line, so as to enhance the travel experience for visitors coming to Hong Kong to attend concerts;
(2) whether it will expeditiously discuss with Mainland authorities the extension of immigration clearance hours at the Heung Yuen Wai Control Point and the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point; and
(3) given that the passenger flow at the Heung Yuen Wai Control Point has exceeded its design capacity by more than double on both weekdays and holidays, whether the Government has considered introducing long-term measures to manage passenger flow, such as installing additional Automated Immigration Clearance (e-Channel) services, so as to increase their number to a level comparable with that of the Mainland counterpart?
Reply:
President,
With the increasing cross-boundary passenger flow between Guangdong and Hong Kong, exchanges at the community level have also intensified. In addition to the popularity of travelling to the Mainland during weekends or long holidays among Hong Kong residents, we are also pleased to observe a sustained increase in the number of Mainland visitors to Hong Kong. In the first half of this year, of the around 23.6 million inbound passenger trips to Hong Kong, Mainland visitors accounted for over 70 per cent, that is around 17.8 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 10 per cent. Many of these visitors came to Hong Kong to attend international entertainment and sports events. In view of the growing demand for clearance services, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has been closely monitoring the operation of the boundary control points (BCPs) and proactively enhancing the clearance capacity to facilitate the two-way flow of people between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
In consultation with the Transport and Logistics Bureau and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, a reply to the questions raised by Dr the Hon Dennis Lam is as follows:
(1) and (2) To enhance the experience of both residents and visitors attending large-scale concerts, relevant Government departments and organisations will discuss the detailed arrangements for each large-scale concert, including assessment and deployment of manpower resources, formulation and implementation of plans for crowd control, information dissemination, traffic diversion and control point arrangements etc based on factors such as the number of attendees, nature, ending time and ticketing situations of the concerts.
Drawing on past operational experiences, relevant departments will make advance planning for large-scale concerts, including pre-assessing the cross-boundary passenger traffic and making corresponding arrangements with a view to effectively managing the passengers departing through land BCPs following large-scale concerts. For example, the Immigration Department (ImmD) will deploy manpower as appropriate to strengthen services based on the estimated passenger traffic. The Transport Department (TD) will co-ordinate in advance with the MTR Corporation, as well as local and cross-boundary public transport operators, to increase service frequency based on the projected passenger flow. Additionally, co-ordination will be undertaken with concert organisers to disseminate cross-boundary traffic information in advance via social media platforms, as well as inside the venues on the day of the concerts. Relevant departments will also monitor the real-time situations at various BCPs, make flexible deployment of manpower to operate additional clearance counters and channels, and maintain close liaison with relevant Mainland port authorities through the established port hotlines and real-time notification mechanism to ensure smooth operation of the BCPs.
Following the end of large-scale evening concerts, cross-boundary passengers may undergo immigration clearance via the Lo Wu Control Point, Shenzhen Bay Port, Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang (LMC/HG) Port and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Hong Kong Port. For the LMC/HG Port, it is observed that most cross-boundary passengers begin arriving approximately 45 minutes after the end of large-scale concerts, with the northbound passenger flow generally dispersed within 1.5 hours. According to recent observations, although cross-boundary passenger flow at relevant BCPs has increased following large-scale concerts, operations have remained largely smooth and in order. Overall speaking, the existing services at the BCPs are able to meet with the passenger demand.
The extension of operating hours of clearance services involves the operation of the ports on both Mainland and Hong Kong sides, and careful consideration has to be given to a host of factors, including the actual needs, effective utilisation of resources of both places, manpower arrangements and ancillary transport services. On the basis of the 24-hour passenger clearance services currently provided at the LMC/HG Port and the HZMB Hong Kong Port, we will continue to closely monitor the demand for passenger clearance services and, having regard to actual needs, liaise with the relevant Mainland authorities on extending the operating hours of the passenger clearance services at respective BCPs when necessary.
(3) As the first control point adopting the design of “direct access to people and vehicles”, the Heung Yuen Wai (HYW) BCP has been well received by the public since the commissioning of passenger clearance services in February 2023. As at June this year, the daily average cross-boundary passenger traffic at the HYW BCP was about 78 000 passenger trips, and during weekends and holidays, the daily average exceeded 91 000 passenger trips, which was three times of its design flow.
Relevant departments have been taking various measures, including flexible deployment of manpower, optimisation of workflow and effective use of information technology, to enhance the handling capacity and efficiency of the HYW BCP. In June last year, the ImmD converted some of the traditional counters in the passenger arrival hall of the HYW BCP, thereby increasing the number of e-Channels from 14 to 18 and expanding the number of traditional counters from 9 to 12.
In response to the continued growth in passenger traffic, the ImmD is now carrying out enhancement works at the passenger departure hall of the HYW BCP. Upon completion, the number of e-Channels will be increased from 14 to 18. During the construction period, four temporary counters have been set up in the passenger departure hall to minimise the impact of the works. We are also exploring the possibility of further increasing the number of e-Channels and traditional counters.
Lastly, I appeal to both visitors and residents to pay attention to the information released by the Government on various platforms. They are suggested to check in advance the relevant websites, mobile applications and mini programmes of the ImmD and the TD, as well as those of the Shenzhen and Zhuhai authorities, so as to understand the clearance situations at various BCPs and to avoid making their journeys during peak hours to save waiting time. We will also work with relevant departments to explore further enhancements to the online dissemination of information of BCPs, with a view to facilitating early journey planning by the public.