Saturday was Hong Kong's busiest day of arrivals and departures since the pandemic, the Immigration Department revealed on Sunday.

More than 1.06 million people crossed the border on Saturday – the first day of the four-day Christmas holiday break.

Around 37 percent of the travellers were arriving in the territory, the department said on Sunday. Among Hong Kong residents, departures outnumbered arrivals by around 312,000.

Retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu said shops were only having a so-so festive season, with many people out of town.

He said high travel and hotel costs were also keeping international tourists away.

"Businesses are not as good as expected for some sectors. Like jewellery shops, they told me they're expecting a double-figure growth in business but it's just about the same as the Christmas period last year," he said.

"I hope the SAR government will organise more attractive activities to boost consumption by both locals and tourists, and I hope businesses will do more promotions – if they can – so our economy can pick up faster."

He also hoped the authorities would reinstate an arrangement to allow Shenzhen people to visit the SAR multiple times with one permit, and extend the measure to cover residents elsewhere in the Greater Bay Area.

Earlier, Financial Secretary Paul Chan said on his blog that the SAR's streets were "teeming", with tourists coming from far and wide to enjoy the festive season.