Hong Kong expects to host more than 1.54 million passenger trips by Chinese mainland tourists during this year's eight-day National Day Golden Week, an 11 percent increase over 2024, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu revealed on Tuesday.
Lee said the city has coordinated preparations in border services, transportation, and information dissemination to ensure a smooth travel experience for visitors.
This year, the National Day holiday runs from Wednesday to Oct 8, with the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival falling in between. The holiday, commonly referred to as Golden Week, is typically one of China's domestic tourism highlights.
Speaking ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee mentioned that the tourist numbers for this holiday surpass those of the same period last year and have also exceeded figures from the Spring Festival and Labor Day holidays this year. Around 1,200 mainland tourist groups are expected to visit Hong Kong during this time, a similar number to last year.
ALSO READ: HK to mark National Day with celebratory events, free tickets, deals
To handle the rise in visitor numbers while ensuring a pleasant tourist experience, he said he has directed all departments to make early preparations. He highlighted that the chief secretary for administration led an inter-departmental meeting over a week ago to coordinate and supervise tasks related to port services, transportation, crowd management, information distribution, and enhancing technology use.
During the holiday period, major border checkpoints will boost staffing and counters to manage the influx of visitors. Concerning transportation, services for the shuttle bus to Macao via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (Gold Bus), as well as the Lok Ma Chau - Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus service to Shenzhen (Yellow Bus), will be improved, with the MTR adjusting schedules accordingly. The Gold Bus frequency will be boosted to approximately every minute during busy periods, with the Yellow Bus running every two minutes at its peak frequency. Additionally, the quota for cross-boundary coaches to enhance services will be raised.
READ MORE: HK fireworks display all set for National Day celebration
To ensure a positive consumer experience, the Travel Industry Authority will conduct inspections at attractions and shops, intensifying efforts against illegal activities. Lee also noted that tourists can access up-to-date information on various land border control points through the Security Bureau's one-stop information platform "Easy Boundary". Moreover, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has also launched a dedicated webpage providing details for the National Day holiday, including estimated wait times for popular tourist destinations.
Contact the writer at amberwu@chinadailyhk.com
