Following a 36-percent visitor surge over the National Day holidays, and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the city’s business community are hoping that year-round inbound travel numbers and consumer spending will bounce back to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels.
From Oct 1 to 6, the city logged over 1.25 million visitors, marking 36.1 percent year-on-year growth.
The National Day holidays, which fall on the first week of October, are a traveling peak for Chinese mainland residents, and this year over 1.1 million visited Hong Kong during Oct 1 and 6, representing 37 percent growth compared with the Golden Week in 2023.
On Oct 1, the National Day, the city recorded about 244,000 visitors, including 221,000 from the Chinese mainland, breaking the city’s record of visitors in a single day.
Director of Immigration Benson Kwok Joon-fung told a radio program on Sunday that the city’s border checkpoints have been operating smoothly over the holidays, primarily thanks to the efficient use of technology.
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At West Kowloon station – Hong Kong’s sole bullet-train terminal, where space is restricted —19 newly opened electronic immigration channels are relieving congestion, Kwok said.
Kwok estimated that there will be another peak influx before the Christmas holidays, predicting that the total number of exit and entry visitors by the end of this year would surpass 300 million, marking a full recovery to pre-pandemic levels.
The immigration chief also pointed out that activities organized by the government and various organizations attracted tourists to the city.
The city launched an array of National Day celebrations while offering food and shopping discounts to boost local markets.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades, expressed his overall satisfaction with the catering industry’s business during the holidays, particularly the better-than-expected HK$300 million ($38.6 million) sales logged on Oct 1.
He estimated dining expenditure will be close to HK$2 billion throughout Golden Week, a five percent increase over the same period last year. He added that apart from short-haul visitors, more travelers from other parts of the nation, including cities newly added to the individual travel programs such as Qingdao and Xi’an, joined the holiday inbound inflow and many of them stayed overnight, which also contributed to the bustling consumer market.
The recently bullish stock market also contributed to local customers’ spending, Wong said, adding that he hopes that the catering industry’s sales in October can reach around HK$9 billion, close to pre-pandemic levels.
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He predicted the Christmas holidays will see a new surge in spending and suggested launching more promotions and activities, including leveraging the vibe around new members of the Ocean Park panda family — two newly arrived and two newborns — to stimulate the economy and attract more visitors.
He also called for the restaurant industry to enhance personnel training to improve consumers’ experiences.
