Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu speaks to the media ahead of an Executive Council meeting on Feb 20, 2024. (CALVIN NG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – About 1.44 million travelers visited the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region during the eight-day Spring Festival holiday from Feb 10-17, with 1.26 million of them coming from the Chinese mainland, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media for the first time in the Year of the Dragon, the chief executive expressed his optimism and said there had been positive signs in the beginning of the new year.

“During the eight-day holiday, an average of 157,000 mainland visitors traveled to Hong Kong on a daily basis, a rise of 15 and 25 percent compared with those during the golden weeks of the National Day and the Labour Day in 2023 respectively,” Lee said ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting.

The hotel occupancy also reached 80 percent on average. Citing the hotel sector’s figures, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said for the first few days of the holiday, the occupancy reached 90 percent and some hotels in remote areas were full on the night of the Lunar New Year fireworks display

There were about 1,980 mainland tour groups coming to the city, with a daily average of 200 compared with 170 in 2019, he said.

The hotel occupancy also reached 80 percent on average. Citing the hotel sector’s figures, Lee said for the first few days of the holiday, the occupancy reached 90 percent and some hotels in remote areas were full on the night of the Lunar New Year fireworks display.

Overnight visitors stayed in the HKSAR for an average of 3.6 days in 2023, compared with 3.1 days in the pre-pandemic period, registering a 16 percent rise, the CE added.

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Lee also pointed out that it had been a normal trend for many years that the number of outbound travelers was higher than that of inbound visitors during the holiday, as residents enjoyed traveling outside Hong Kong, especially during the long holiday periods.

“The average ratio of outbound and inbound travelers is about 1.5-2.5 to 1. The figure has been higher after the end of the pandemic last year, due to the pent-up demand for outbound traveling,” the CE said.

Cross-boundary travels between the mainland and the SAR had also become a norm with the city’s integration with the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, he added.

Participants from Hong Kong take part in the International Lunar New Year Parade on the first day of the Lunar New Year of the Dragon in Hong Kong on Feb 10, 2024. (PHOTO / AFP)

Mega event economy

Lee mentioned that various mega events, which had been held in other places due to the pandemic, would return to Hong Kong, including the APLF Leather & Materials+, Fashion Access and Vinexpo Asia, and a number of cultural events will be held in the city for the first time, including KCON and ComplexCon.

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The role of the government is like a movie director. Various sectors and practitioners have a role to play in offering quality services and enjoyable experience to visitors so that they will stay longer and recommend the city to their friends and relatives.

John Lee Ka-chiu, Chief Executive

Organizers had chosen Hong Kong as the destination and it had reflected the advantages of the city, the CE said.

In the coming month, there will be other large-scale events as well, including the Art Basel, the Hong Kong International Jewellery Show and LIV Golf Hong Kong Tournament.

“The role of the government is like a movie director. Various sectors and practitioners have a role to play in offering quality services and enjoyable experience to visitors so that they will stay longer and recommend the city to their friends and relatives,” Lee stressed, adding that the city should make use of these opportunities to enhance the city’s attractiveness and competitiveness.

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Regarding reports that the Singaporean government would offer subsidies for each concert of pop superstar Taylor Swift in exchange for an exclusive right for holding the concerts in Southeast Asia, the CE said the authorities would use different methods to fight for the rights to organize different events and would be happy to work with different organizers.

“We will strive to hold mega events, be it concerts or sport events, to bring economic benefits to Hong Kong and boost the city’s image and competitiveness,” Lee said.