The Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong expects 1.5 million mainland visitors to arrive in Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week, representing an estimated 10 percent increase compared to last year.
Approximately 3 percent of these visitors, around 45,000 individuals, will arrive through roughly 1,300 tour groups, a year-on-year increase of nearly 10 percent.
The council’s executive director, Fanny Yeung Shuk-fan, highlighted that upcoming events such as the National Day Fireworks Display, the Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival, and the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance are expected to attract a large number of tourists.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has launched comprehensive promotional campaigns in major mainland cities and multiple provinces.
Yeung also anticipated a surge in outbound travel between October 2 and October 4, following the public holidays on October 1 and 7.
Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, noted that the growing number of tourists is driving a recovery in hotel occupancy rates.
Hotels in popular tourist areas on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon are expected to reach up to 90 percent of peak occupancy levels, Tsui said, urging tourists to book in advance.
Separately, Legislative Council member Perry Yiu Pak-leung suggested that the government leverage the departure tax exemption, which is scheduled to take effect on October 1, to attract more mainland transit visitors through Hong Kong.
