bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Willa Wu

Oscar Liu

Hong Kong welcomed nearly 1 million mainland Chinese visitors in the first five days of the National Day “golden week” break, a 35 per cent rise over the same period last year, with the tourism sector expecting momentum to continue at Christmas.
Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung, who revealed the latest golden week figures on Sunday, estimated the city would record 300 million arrival and departure trips by the end of 2024, a return to pre-pandemic levels.
The mainland’s annual golden week holiday runs from October 1 to 7 this year.
Kwok said 980,000 mainland visitors had entered Hong Kong between Tuesday and Saturday, up 35 per cent from last year.
Hongkongers, meanwhile, made 1.26 million outbound trips over the five days, with more than 200,000 leaving the city on October 1.
More than 220,000 mainland travellers entered the city on National Day on October 1 – a rise of about 25 per cent year on year, Kwok added.
“In the past five days, whether at the border checkpoints, tourism hotspots and popular restaurants, it has been hustle and bustle, with long queues reported in many places,” he told a radio programme.
“So we can see the [National Day] celebratory events held by the government and other sectors are very attractive. And Hong Kong remains a welcoming place for mainland tourists.”
In line with the surge, the daily number of vehicles entering and exiting the Zhuhai port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge exceeded 20,000 for the first time on Friday night, Xinhua news agency said.
From October 1 to 5, passenger traffic at the port reached 453,000 people and 93,000 vehicles, increases of 34 per cent and 56 per cent, respectively, compared with last year.

Kwok estimated the city would record another spike in arrivals during the Christmas holidays.
He also forecast that the total number of arrivals and departures for the year would match levels last recorded in 2019.
“We estimate that by the end of this year, [arrivals and departures] will reach 300 million,” he said.
The Tourism Board earlier forecast 46 million tourists would visit in 2024, a 35 per cent increase from last year but only 70 per cent of the 65 million arrivals in 2018.
Industry leaders also expressed optimism momentum from the National Day holiday would extend to the Christmas period.
Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said the industry was trying its best using promotions to lure mainland tourists during the peak season from September until March.
“We were doing very well in terms of visitor numbers in the past few months in hot summer, which is the non-peak season. There is no way the number of visitors will shrink in the peak season,” Chui said.
“Last year, we observed a lot of mainland tourists choosing to come to Hong Kong on Fridays and Saturdays, staying at least one night to experience the Christmas atmosphere even without the Christmas holiday. We anticipate a similar trend this year.”
Chui added improving stock market conditions encouraged both locals and mainland tourists to spend more willingly.
Alan Chan Chung-yee, chief operations officer of Miramar Group, which runs two hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay, expressed confidence about occupancy rates at Christmas.
The two hotels recorded a 1 per cent rise in occupancy to 97 per cent and 94 per cent respectively during the National Day holiday, with room rates 10 per cent cheaper than last year.
“The wealth effect driven by the stock market has significantly boosted consumption during the golden week. The buoyant A-share market boosts the confidence of mainland tourists in spending,” Chan said.
“As the stock market improves and attracts a considerable amount of hot money, the demand for the yuan increases, leading to its appreciation. Consequently, the US dollar and the Hong Kong dollar depreciate, resulting in cheaper spending in Hong Kong for mainland visitors.”
Jack Cheung Ki-tang, a director of CTS HK Metropark Hotels Management which operates four properties in the city, urged authorities to ramp up Christmas promotions for foreign visitors. The hotels reached 95 per cent occupancy during the golden week.
“Foreign visitors are the main driver for hotels in the Christmas season. The government should start promoting Hong Kong as soon as possible to captivate them while organising events that cater to mainland visitors as well,” Cheung said.
Retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu Ka-fai pointed to the importance of selling Hong Kong’s uniqueness to visitors earlier to help boost local businesses.
“Retail sales in the National Day holiday are definitely better than for the Labour Day [golden week]. Although I don’t have an estimate for Christmas, spending is largely by foreign tourists,” he said.
“The government needs to come up with a promotion drive to woo both foreign and mainland visitors.”


Did you know Wallis Simpson stayed at this Hong Kong hotel?

Will adding KPI target to tourism projects ensure Hong Kong officials don’t waste money?

‘Study in Hong Kong’ campaign well-timed but city needs to do more, ranking firm says

Hypefest draws crowds and vendors in Hong Kong debut despite typhoon threat

Hong Kong tourism

Hong Kong tourism sector expects bumper Christmas after ‘golden week’ surge in visitors

Visitors pose for photos against the backdrop of Hong Kong’s iconic skyline. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong remains a welcoming place for mainland tourists, officials say. Photo: Nora Tam

Mainland Chinese tourists choose cheap Hong Kong eats touted online for ‘golden week’ trips

Mainland tourists spend the National Day ‘golden week’ break taking pictures of Hong Kong’s skyline. Photo: Nora Tam

Tourists line up for a cup of milk tea from Lan Fong Yuen. Photo: Wynna Wong

Hong Kong among top destinations for mainland Chinese tourists during ‘golden week’ break

Tourists visit Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai. Photo: Sam Tsang

Visitors at Seoul’s Gyeongbokgung palace. Photo: AFP

Tourists pose for pictures on Peel Street in Central in May. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

News

Hong Kong

Hong Kong economy

Society

Immigration authorities say 980,000 mainland visitors entered Hong Kong over first five days of holiday


Immigration authorities say 980,000 mainland visitors entered Hong Kong over first five days of holiday.


Golden week