Chief Secretary Eric Chan said on Saturday that things went smoothly at the border crossings during the Lunar New Year holiday, despite changes from last year's travel arrangements.

Unlike last year, border checkpoints at Lo Wu and Shenzhen Bay didn't extend their hours, leaving Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge Port to operate around-the-clock.

Chan told a Commercial Radio programme that officials had acted to ensure smooth travel arrangements for tourists heading back to the mainland.

“Even though we didn't operate some border points right through the night, we were concerned that some people might think Lo Wu was still open after midnight, and take the train. So we made announcements on the trains to keep them informed, and in Sheung Shui, we arranged an overnight shuttle bus going to the border checkpoints that did remain open all night,” he said.

Chan also said he'd heard anecdotal evidence from the hotel sector and retailers that business is going well.

He urged Hongkongers to stay in the SAR to spend, saying they can also find cheap and good quality options here.

Meanwhile, the government had earlier partnered with five restaurant chains - Fairwood, Cafe de Coral, Tai Hing, Maxim's, and McDonald's - to distribute food coupons to about 50,000 elderly people through 214 elderly centres across Hong Kong.

Each of them will receive five coupons, allowing them to buy designated meals at a discounted price of HK$25.

Chan said the feedback has been positive so far, and he hopes it will motivate more isolated seniors to leave their homes and engage with the community.