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National Day Golden Week Sees Record Visitor Arrivals in Hong Kong Post-Pandemic

HK

National Day Golden Week Sees Record Visitor Arrivals in Hong Kong Post-Pandemic
HK

HK

National Day Golden Week Sees Record Visitor Arrivals in Hong Kong Post-Pandemic

2024-10-08 20:01 Last Updated At:20:18

Interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements summarises visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during National Day Golden Week

The seven-day National Day Golden Week of the Mainland ended yesterday (October 7), with the overall number of inbound visitors aligning with earlier estimates. The number recorded on National Day (October 1) reached a daily record high since the post-pandemic full opening of the borders.

During the seven-day National Day Golden Week, the Immigration Department recorded a total of around 1.38 million visitors coming to Hong Kong through various sea, land and air control points. Among them, Mainland visitors accounted for about 1.22 million, representing 88 per cent of the total arrivals. The daily average of Mainland visitors was around 170 000, which exceeded that of the 2023 National Day Golden Week and the 2024 Labour Day Golden Week around 27 per cent and some 13 per cent respectively.

Mainland inbound visitor arrivals peaked on National Day with around 220 000 visitors arriving in Hong Kong, marking a daily record high since the post-pandemic opening of the borders and setting a corresponding record for the overall number of visitors to Hong Kong in a single day. During the National Day Golden Week, the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line and the Express Rail Link West Kowloon were the two ports with the highest daily average number of Mainland visitors, and operations at various control points and transport services ran smoothly.

Regarding large-scale events, the National Day Fireworks Display over Victoria Harbour on October 1 attracted over 330 000 spectators. The event concluded with effective crowd control arrangements and was well-received by local residents and tourists.

Visitors went to different parts of Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week, with high visitor flow observed at major tourist attractions including the West Kowloon Cultural District, Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, the Peak Tram and Ngong Ping 360. Smooth and effective crowd management measures were implemented. In addition, according to the information provided by the hotel industry, the overall hotel occupancy rate during the first four days of the Golden Week (October 1 to 4) reached 90 per cent.

In terms of tour groups, according to the Travel Industry Authority's information, around 1 050 Mainland inbound tour groups visited Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week, with around 80 per cent engaged in overnight itineraries. These tour groups involved around 36 000 visitors, accounting for around 3 per cent of all Mainland visitors, and they were generally in good order.

The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, is pleased to note that the rich array of National Day special offers from the Government and various sectors of society were well-received by the public. Among them, the 1st October Movie Fiesta: Half-Price Spectacular 2024 organised by the Hong Kong Theatres Association and subsidised by the Government took place in 59 commercial theatres across Hong Kong. On the day of the event, there were nearly 2 000 screenings, with cumulative admissions reaching 189 000, breaking last year's record of 155 000 and representing an increase of 22 per cent. Free admission was offered to museums and art spaces under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department on October 1, attracting nearly 60 000 attendees. Among them, there were more than 11 000 visitors to the Hong Kong Space Museum, setting a record for single-day attendance.

In addition, several public transportation services provided free rides or discounts during National Day, benefitting a total of approximately 4.43 million passengers. Different sectors such as catering and retail actively launched special offers to attract spending from both locals and visitors, contributing to a festive atmosphere throughout the city. Various trade representatives and merchants reported increased customer flow and business during National Day.

The embarkation and disembarkation arrangements for two homeport deployments of a mega cruise ship at Kai Tak Cruise Terminal (KTCT) during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland were smooth, with various transport services arranged to adequately meet visitor needs. Notably, direct coach services connecting the Heung Yuen Wai Boundary Control Point and KTCT were arranged by the Hong Kong Tourism Board in collaboration with a local coach operator to provide facilitation for a total of 3 500 Mainland visitors.

Mr Chan said, "Thanks to the concerted efforts of relevant government departments, organisations and industries in making preparations and responses, this year's arrangements for receiving visitors during the National Day Golden Week operated smoothly, enabling both locals and visitors to celebrate National Day together. The Government will draw on this experience and further enhance various arrangements in future to provide an even better experience for visitors to Hong Kong during festive periods."

SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people

The Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Mr Tse Chin-wan, today (November 2) attended the Dialogue with the Secretary for Environment and Ecology session on the public day of the 19th Eco Expo Asia to exchange views on the beauty of Hong Kong's ecology and various environmental matters with some 400 young people from various schools and uniformed groups.

The event began with the screening of an extract of the documentary series "Enchanting China", produced by the Environment and Ecology Bureau (EEB) and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), in collaboration with the Center for Environmental Education and Communications of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, as well as "Picturesque Bays of Hong Kong", which is the first episode of the documentary series "Beautiful Hong Kong" produced by the EEB. The documentaries showcase the contributions and achievements made by the country and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in environmental protection and nature conservation.

Through the "Picturesque Bays of Hong Kong" documentary, Mr Tse highlighted that Hong Kong is not only a highly developed city, but is also committed to conserving the natural environment. He said that Hong Kong has a total of 25 country parks, the latest of which is Robin's Nest Country Park established this year. These country parks cover over 40 per cent of Hong Kong's land area together with 22 special areas. Hong Kong also possesses a designated internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention and the Hong Kong UNESCO World Geopark, etc. This proportion surpasses many cities with economic developments similar to Hong Kong, making it an important asset.

In terms of sea area, Hong Kong has a coastline of about 1 200 kilometres and a total sea area of more than 1 600 square kilometres. Although it only accounts for less than 1 per cent of the total sea area of the country, it has numerous beautiful bays and a quarter of the country's marine species. Hong Kong is home to over 80 species of marine stony corals, more than the total sum in the entire Caribbean Sea. The bird species here exceed 580, accounting for about one-third of the country's total.

Mr Tse said, "I hope that through the 'Picturesque Bays of Hong Kong' documentary, we can learn about the beauty of the place where we live, explore and, more importantly, cherish the beauty of Hong Kong's ecosystems and work together to help conserve nature."

Young people attending the event were very interested in various environmental topics, and many of them noted the increasing frequency of extreme weather and Hong Kong's endeavours to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 to combat climate change. Mr Tse said that carbon emissions in Hong Kong already peaked in 2014, and the current carbon emissions have been reduced by about a quarter from the peak. The per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Hong Kong are one-fourth of those in the United States and six-tenths of those in the European Union, showing that Hong Kong compares well with other regions in carbon reduction. Nevertheless, achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 is still a great challenge. The Government is leading Hong Kong towards carbon neutrality through a range of measures, such as accelerating green and low-carbon transformation, promoting green transport and cultivating the local practice of waste reduction and recycling, as well as developing new energy sources and green scientific research industries.

Mr Tse said he hopes that through Eco Expo Asia, students can learn more about different environmental issues and integrate environmental concepts into their daily lives to practise low-carbon living, and lead Hong Kong towards a low-carbon future together.

Apart from the Dialogue with the Secretary for Environment and Ecology session, speakers from the Hong Kong Observatory, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Civil Engineering and Development Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, the EPD, etc shared their environmental information and knowledge during the green seminars to raise public awareness of environmental protection.

The last day of Eco Expo Asia is a public day, which is open to all free of charge. This year's public day programme also includes guided tours, green workshops, a green market, green seminars and a free ride experience on a hydrogen fuel cell double-decker.

SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people  Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people  Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people  Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people  Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

SEE exchanges views on ecological conservation and various environmental issues with young people Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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