South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and mainland China are fast becoming favorite Lunar New Year travel spots for Hongkongers this year. Residents are making the most of a calendar quirk that gives them nine days off in a row by taking only two leave days. This long holiday has greatly boosted travel demand. Moon Yau Moon-yee, assistant general manager at Sunflower Travel Services and vice-chairman of the Tourism Industry Employees’ General Union, said, "This year, office workers only need to take two days of leave to enjoy nine consecutive days off, which has greatly stimulated travel demand." He added that bookings for Yunnan have tripled compared to last year, with travelers favoring long tours of eight to nine days. Authorities expect around 11.38 million passengers, including Hong Kong residents and visitors, to cross the city’s borders between February 14 and 23. The government estimated about 9.52 million trips would be made via land boundary crossings, a big jump from 7.34 million over the same period last year. Departure volumes are expected to peak on February 14, just before the holiday begins.