The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki, said on Thursday that about 1.6 million visitors came to Hong Kong during the seven-day National Day Golden Week, including more than 1.41 million mainland arrivals — higher than the mainland visitor count during last year's eight-day Golden Week.
Mainland arrivals averaged about 202,000 per day, peaking at about 277,000 on October 1. There were about 1,140 mainland inbound tour groups with more than 41,000 visitors, about 60 per cent on overnight itineraries. Overall order was good, with hotel occupancy generally reaching 90 per cent during the period.
The National Day fireworks display attracted more than 378,000 spectators, while the National Day race meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse drew nearly 30,000 attendees, including more than 9,300 visitors. The mid-Autumn lantern carnivals at Victoria Park attracted about 730,000 visits.
Chan said the activities were well received and that special offers and events helped drive footfall and spending. He cited the retail sector as reporting year-on-year single-digit to double-digit growth across categories, and the catering sector as reporting about a 10 per cent increase in business in tourist areas.
