The National Day Golden Week concluded with a satisfactory performance for the tourism and catering sectors, welcoming more than 1.3 million visitors and 60 percent being overnight guests.
Fanny Yeung Shuk-fan, Executive Director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, reported over 1.3 million incoming tourists during the first six days of the Golden Week, marking a seven percent increase from last year.
Notably, mainland visitors accounted for approximately 86 percent of the total tourists, and three-fifths of them stayed overnight in the city.
Although visitor numbers have not yet reached pre-pandemic levels, Yeung expressed satisfaction, emphasizing that the industry focuses on the quality of tours rather than just the quantity.
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Growth in long-haul travel
Yeung also observed a more significant rebound in long-haul travelers compared to mainland tourists, with overseas visitors constituting nearly 15 percent of total visitors -- marking a more than 20 percent increase.
Yeung believed the trend indicates a more balanced distribution of the visitor market, partly driven by events like the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance.
She added that there were no complaints from travelers during the Golden Week holiday period, crediting prior preparations between the government and business stakeholders for effective crowd management.
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Festive activities attract tourists
Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong described the total number of visitors during the Golden Week as aligned closely with the industry's expectation of over 1.5 million.
He anticipated that arrivals on the final day would slightly exceed the usual daily average of 80,000 to 100,000.
Chui attributed the rise in visitors this year to the overlap of the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays, as well as the diverse festive events held in the city.
He pointed out that the National Day fireworks display, Mid-Autumn Lantern Carnival, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, and the launch of open-top sightseeing bus rides have attracted many new visitors to Hong Kong.
Hotel occupancy high, but prices steady
Chui, who also manages a hotel, reported a notably high occupancy rate, particularly among smaller hotels offering more competitive pricing.
While hotel occupancy was generally elevated throughout the holiday period, he emphasized that rates experienced only a modest increase of approximately 10 percent between October 2 and 3, with pricing remaining consistent with regular rates for the remainder of the holiday.
He explained that some mainland tourists might opt to travel to other mainland cities from Hong Kong, introducing competition for local hotels.
Robust growth in catering industry
Echoing the positive sentiment, the chairman of the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management Leung Chun-wah welcomed the 15 to 20 percent increase in business at restaurants in tourist hubs like Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay.
Leung noted that about 80 percent of individual travelers preferred walk-in to eateries such as cha chaan teng and fast-food outlets, while tour groups tended to opt for dining in Chinese restaurants.
He added that the overlapping holidays also boosted local spending, resulting in a 10 percent increase for Chinese restaurants outside tourist areas.
Regarding projections of daily revenue for the catering sector during the Golden Week reaching nearly HK$300 million, he deemed the figures reasonable, considering there are approximately 17,000 licensed restaurants across the city.
