Hong Kong Prepares for Surge in Visitors During Chinese New Year Golden Week Celebrations

CSTB convenes meeting to co-ordinate preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during Chinese New Year Golden Week of Mainland

​The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau convened a meeting today (January 13) to co-ordinate the preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during the eight-day Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland (January 28 to February 4). The meeting was hosted by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, with representatives from government departments including the Hong Kong Police Force, the Immigration Department, Hong Kong Customs, the Transport Department, and various District Offices attending. Representatives from various tourism-related organisations, including the Travel Industry Authority, the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, major tourist attractions and the hotel industry also attended.

Miss Law said, "The Chinese New Year Golden Week is Hong Kong's peak season for travel. Various districts in the city will host a variety of festive events to create a rich New Year ambience for visitors. We are grateful for the Central Government in resuming and expanding the multiple-entry Individual Visit Scheme for Shenzhen residents, which enables more Mainland travellers to visit Hong Kong. We estimate a notable increase in visitor arrivals during the Chinese New Year Golden Week. We encourage the trade to grasp the opportunities and be flexible in providing more high-quality and innovative experiences to visitors to attract them to stay overnight to enjoy Hong Kong's unique festive atmosphere."

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Relevant parties will continue to maintain close communication before the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland to plan and take forward various preparations for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong, making timely reports on the latest situation to the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration.

CSTB convenes meeting to co-ordinate preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during Chinese New Year Golden Week of Mainland Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

CSTB convenes meeting to co-ordinate preparation for visitor arrivals to Hong Kong during Chinese New Year Golden Week of Mainland Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Announcement on Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) (Amendment) Regulation 2025

The Transport and Logistics Bureau (TLB) announced today (January 30) that it noted public discussions on the scope of application of the Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) (Amendment) Regulation 2025. Having consulted the Department of Justice, it is considered that there are technical deficiencies in those legal provisions which state the requirement on passengers to wear seat belts on franchised and non-franchised buses. Those provisions do not fully reflect the legislative intent, which is to extend the statutory requirement for the wearing of seat belts to all vehicle seats, thereby providing better protection for passengers.

The TLB will promptly repeal the relevant provisions (i.e., Section 8D and related provisions (if applicable)) of the Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) Regulations (Chapter 374F)by way of publishing in the Gazette as subsidiary legislation. Upon repealing, there will be no statutory requirement for passengers to wear seat belts on franchised or non-franchised buses; for the period leading up to the repeal of relevant provisions, the Government will not enforce the provision. The statutory requirement for the wearing of seat belts on other types of vehicles (including private cars, taxis, goods vehicles, light buses, special purpose vehicles, student service vehicles) will remain in effect.

As the next step, we will gather opinions from various stakeholders, and consider how best to ensure road safety while addressing the concerns raised during the implementation of new requirements. We will further consult the Legislative Council after optimising the arrangements, and reintroducing them at an appropriate time. Meanwhile, we will continue to enhance publicity and education efforts to encourage the voluntary habit of wearing seat belts.

Source: AI-found images