Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah delivers a speech at Hong Kong Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Program's 10th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony on Nov 29, 2022. (ANDY CHONG / CHINA DAILY)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s campaign to revive its nighttime economy has drawn a total of over 1.3 million revelers to its festive events in the last two months, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau Ying-wah said Wednesday.

Answering a query at the Legislative Council, Yau said 270,000 people have visited “Night Vibes Hong Kong” campaign events at its three harborfront sites as of Oct 31 while other festival events have attracted a total of over 1 million visitors.

“The events specifically designed for different Chinese and western festivals have drawn the enthusiastic participation of many residents,” Yau said. “For instance, the lantern carnivals held during the Mid-Autumn Festival recorded a cumulative attendance of around 660,000, with more than 300,000 visiting the lantern carnival at Victoria Park.”

Yau said the "Night Vibes Hong Kong" campaign, which started in September, held an array of night-time events, spanning festivities including the National Day and Halloween and will continue during Christmas and the New Year until early 2024

He said the "Night Vibes Hong Kong" campaign, which started in September, held an array of night-time events, spanning festivities including the National Day and Halloween and will continue during Christmas and the New Year until early 2024.

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“The National Day Fireworks Display attracted over 430,000 spectators on both sides of the Victoria Harbour. These events were conducive to the fostering of a revitalized post-pandemic atmosphere and encouraged consumer spending,” he said.

Riding on the "Night Vibes Hong Kong" campaign, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has since this month been handing out one million sets of new "Hong Kong Night Treats" visitor dining coupons, each with a value of HK$100 ($12.83), to encourage visitors to go out and enjoy the city's night-time offerings, Yau said.

The HKTB has also launched a special offer for an open-top bus night tour to visitors to Hong Kong. From November to January, visitors can enjoy tours on three night bus routes for HK$20, exploring various attractions and landmarks in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon.

Not only can they immerse themselves in the city's evening charms, but they may also hop on and off at their favorite spots as they wish for exploration, dining and shopping, Yau said.

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To further boost tourism, the HKTB has also distributed around two million "Hong Kong Goodies" visitor consumption vouchers, each with a value of $100. Visitors could redeem the vouchers for a free welcome drink at designated bars, restaurants and hotels, or choose an offer at dining and retail outlets, attractions or transport.

Since reopening, Hong Kong has also topped the list of outbound travel destinations for users of the Chinese mainland online platform Xiaohongshu.

“In collaboration with Xiaohongshu, the HKTB launched the ‘Hong Kong Travel Time Machine’ and ‘Art Travel to Hong Kong’ programs in the first half of this year, which generated more than 200 million total exposure for Hong Kong tourism,” Yau said.