The Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong estimates 800,000 mainland visitors to Hong Kong during the May Day holiday, up by 30 percent compared to last year. Moreover, about 800 mainland tour groups, comprising up to 28,000 travelers, are expected to visit the city during the five-day vacation.

Following the liberation of the Individual Visit Scheme to Hong Kong from the mainland cities of Qingdao and Xi'an, the council expects a 50 percent increase in the number of visitors from the two cities.

The SAR government has taken adequate preparations for transportation to receive a cross-border passenger traffic of about 5.9 million, according to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.

Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival

The 16th Mazu Cultural Tourism Festival is set to take place from April 30 to May 5 at Nansha Tianhou Palace in Guangzhou.

To celebrate the birthday of the Sea Goddess Mazu, the festival will feature a signature activity of the Mazu boat parade along the coastline on May 1, cultural seminars, celebration dinners and parties.

Mazu dinners and a bonsai exhibition are new to this year’s festival, along with special performances such as martial arts, Qilin dance, night market street and water wedding.

Inaugural Chinese Culture Festival

Hong Kong will host first-ever Chinese Culture Festival from June to September, with performances from about 2,000 local and mainland artists. Tickets for the festival went on sale from April 19. Early birds can enjoy discounts up to 30 percent by May 3.

Highlights of the festival include the award-wining dance drama Five Stars Rise in the East presented by the Beijing Dance Drama and Opera, and a Cantonese Opera adaptation of the renowned French drama “Cyrano de Bergerac”, transforming the background from French battlefield into the ancient fort of the Ming Dynasty.

The opera will be performed by Cantonese Opera master Law Ka-ying, who spent 10 years to adapt the drama.

HK reading week

Hong Kong is holding its first Hong Kong Reading Week, from April 20 to 28 with a focus on "Chinese Culture”. Chinese cultural workshops, storytelling workshops, Chinese culture booths, Chinese costume try-on experiences, etc. are available for bookworms and Chinese art lovers.

The co-reading with Shenzhen is another feature of the reading week. Related activities include study tours, exchange visits by celebrities and mutual book exhibitions, etc.