HK Express says mainland Golden Week traffic jumps
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
HK Express said the number of mainland visitors it carried to and from Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week from October 1 to 7 rose 45% year on year, with October 2 marking the peak day at more than 13,000 passenger trips. The budget carrier also said mainland transit passengers connecting through Hong Kong to other cities increased by more than 1.6 times from a year earlier during the same holiday period. At the same time, WeChat said Hong Kong and Macau remained the top outbound destinations for mainland travellers over the combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day break, while the number of WeChat Pay transactions in Hong Kong rose by nearly 30% year on year. The payment platform said spending growth was especially visible in experience categories such as photography, films and performances, and sports and camping, suggesting a shift from buying goods to buying experiences
Key Points
- HK Express said it carried 45% more mainland visitor passenger trips to and from Hong Kong during October 1 to 7 than a year earlier
- October 2 was the busiest day, with the airline handling more than 13,000 mainland passenger trips entering and leaving Hong Kong
- The carrier currently operates six mainland routes: Beijing Daxing, Sanya, Wuxi, Ningbo, Changzhou and Yiwu, and said overall demand remained stable
- Wuxi, launched on July 17, recorded an average load factor of 85% through October 7, prompting deployment of larger Airbus A321ceo aircraft from October
- WeChat said Hong Kong WeChat Pay transaction volumes rose nearly 30% year on year, while Hong Kong users’ spending in the mainland increased by more than 50%
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the figures point to two linked trends: stronger aviation demand from mainland cities and a broader role for Hong Kong as both a destination and a transfer hub. The spending data also suggests tourism gains may increasingly depend on cultural, entertainment and lifestyle offerings rather than traditional shopping alone