CS chairs interdepartmental working group meeting on festival arrangements
The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, today (September 19) chaired a meeting of the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements to holistically co-ordinate and steer the preparatory work of various government departments for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. The Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing; the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung; the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan; the Under Secretary for Environment and Ecology, Miss Diane Wong, and representatives from other relevant government departments also attended.
Mr Chan said, "We are approaching the eight-day National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, which also overlaps with the Mid-Autumn Festival. Various celebration activities will take place, providing travellers with a unique cultural and tourism experience. We estimate a notable increase in visitor arrivals during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will make good preparations for receiving visitors, as well as maintaining close liaison with relevant organisations and the travel trade to prepare well for crowd management, information dissemination and arrangements of public transportation and boundary control points (BCPs), with a view to providing a quality experience to residents and visitors in celebration of National Day."
Estimated visitor flow and preparatory work
According to the Immigration Department (ImmD)'s estimate, around 8.76 million passengers (including Hong Kong residents and visitors) will pass through Hong Kong's sea, land and air control points during this year's National Day Golden Week of the Mainland (i.e. from October 1 to 8), among whom 7.52 million passengers will pass through land control points.
The ImmD estimates that the peak period of outbound passengers using land BCPs is expected to be October 4 (Saturday) with around 660 000 passengers, while the peak period of inbound passengers using land BCPs is expected to be October 1 (Wednesday) with around 610 000 passengers. Passengers are advised to plan in advance, avoid making their journeys during busy periods, and keep track of radio and TV broadcasts on traffic conditions at various control points. The busy times at BCPs are available on the website of the ImmD at www.immd.gov.hk. Furthermore, residents and passengers may also check the estimated waiting times at each land BCP at any time or place via the Immigration Mobile App. They can then plan their trips effectively and save time queuing at control points.
In terms of Mainland inbound visitors, it is estimated that around 1.54 million passengers will visit Hong Kong via various sea, land and air control points during the eight-day National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. Compared with last year's National Day Golden Week of the Mainland and this year's Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland and Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland, the daily average visitor arrivals will increase by 11 per cent, 29 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. According to the estimate of the Travel Industry Authority (TIA) and the trade, it is anticipated that 1 200 inbound tour groups will visit Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, with the average daily number of inbound tour groups similar to that of last year’s National Day Golden Week of the Mainland. Major tourist spots have formulated special arrangements to handle the estimated increase of people flow. The Hong Kong community is expected to become more vibrant and highly patronised during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, bringing opportunities to various sectors.
There will be an array of activities across the territory during the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, including the 2025 National Day Fireworks Display to be held on October 1 (Wednesday). The Hong Kong Police Force will ensure sufficient police manpower to implement corresponding crowd management measures and special traffic arrangements as necessary for the event to be conducted in a safe and orderly manner. District offices will also closely monitor the flow of visitors within their respective districts and notify relevant departments having regard to actual circumstances, with a view to strengthening management of the relevant spots.
Co-ordinate control points, traffic and public transport facilities
Relevant departments have minimised leave for frontline officers to enable flexible deployment of manpower and operation of additional counters and channels, with a view to diverting passenger and vehicular flow. The Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre set up by the Police, the ImmD, the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), and other relevant departments will be activated from October 1 (Wednesday) to October 8 (Wednesday) to monitor the real-time situation at various control points. The Joint Command Centre will maintain close liaison with the Mainland port authorities through the established port hotlines and real-time notification mechanism, and take timely contingency actions as necessary to flexibly deploy manpower at BCPs to ensure smooth operation of the control points. The Security Bureau will activate the Emergency Monitoring and Support Centre from October 1 to 8 to closely monitor and co-ordinate the public order situation at various BCPs and facilitate interdepartmental follow-up actions where necessary to respond promptly to various kinds of emergencies.
In view of the anticipated large number of tourists visiting Sai Kung High Island Reservoir East Dam during the upcoming National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, the Police have taken targeted measures, including deploying uniformed officers at strategic locations at Pak Tam Chung, Man Yee Road and East Dam, for traffic and crowd management during peak visitor arrival and departure periods.
For transport arrangements, the Transport Department (TD) has co-ordinated with relevant operators to enhance transportation services connecting various BCPs, including increasing the frequency of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus (Gold Bus) to within one minute during peak hours, and Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus) to about two minutes at its highest frequency, as well as increasing the quota of cross-boundary coaches to strengthen services, and formulating a contingency plan by implementing special traffic control measures as necessary, including providing a dedicated passage for public transport vehicles at Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang port and Shenzhen Bay Port to ensure smooth public transport services. Regarding local public transport services, the TD has approached various public transport operators proactively to enhance their capacity, and reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower to meet the travel needs of visitors. The MTR Corporation Limited will enhance train services of various railway lines (including East Rail Line) from late September to October 8 for the convenience of residents and visitors. Franchised bus operators will also strengthen services as necessary. Moreover, to cater for the needs of passengers travelling to Sai Kung High Island Reservoir East Dam, the TD has co-ordinated with the operator to enhance the service of GMB Route No. 9A (Pak Tam Chung - the East Dam) subject to passenger demand, as well as to reserve standby vehicles and drivers. During the National Day Golden Week of the Mainland, service frequencies will be flexibly strengthened in co-ordination with the traffic control measures implemented by the Police to ease passenger waiting times.
The Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre of the TD will continue to operate 24 hours a day to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services in all districts, BCPs, and major stations across Hong Kong, and take prompt measures to address service demands and disseminate the latest traffic updates through various channels.
Management of tour groups and protection of visitors
The TIA has reminded travel agents receiving Mainland inbound tour groups to adopt appropriate diversion measures to enable proper management of visitor flows and tour buses, with a view to offering a pleasant travel experience to visitors. The TIA will also conduct inspections in districts where relatively more registered shops for inbound tour groups are located, and offer assistance to visitors and tourist guides to protect inbound tour group visitors' rights. Additionally, the Police will continue to step up enforcement actions against the illegal acts of taxi drivers including overcharging and refusing hire. The C&ED will also step up inspection of shops serving visitors to combat unfair trade practices.
Weather forecast
In terms of climate statistics, Hong Kong begins to be affected by the northeast monsoon in early October but can still be affected by tropical cyclones or heavy rain. The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) will release relevant weather information as early as possible. Travellers are advised to check the HKO’s nine-day weather forecast and the latest weather warnings before travelling.
Information dissemination
To assist visitors in planning their itineraries, the interdepartmental working group will strengthen information dissemination including the latest inbound visitor arrivals, the situation at various BCPs, information on events, transport arrangements, the latest weather forecast, etc, to enable residents and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest situation.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will launch a dedicated web page on September 22, which consolidates operation arrangements of major attractions and different celebrations during the National Day Golden Week holiday. During the Golden Week, the HKTB will provide the waiting time at major attractions, including the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Ocean Park Hong Kong, the Peak Tram, Ngong Ping 360, Hong Kong Observation Wheel and the Star Ferry, on their web page to help the local public and visitors plan their itineraries.
The HKTB also steps up promotions on the Mainland, partnering with the trade to promote Hong Kong’s diverse tourism products and offers through social media, livestreaming, influencers and online travel agencies to attract visitors, encourage them to extend their stay and stimulate consumption. These include National Day-themed products and offers from the food and beverages, retail and hospitality sectors.
CS chairs interdepartmental working group meeting on festival arrangements Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
CS chairs interdepartmental working group meeting on festival arrangements Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
