Visitor flow is booming during the Double Festival holiday, and Hong Kong’s cultural tourism shows its diverse vitality

China News Service, Hong Kong, October 4th. Title: The passenger flow is booming during the Double Festival holiday, and Hong Kong’s cultural tourism shows its diverse vitality.

China News Service reporter Xiang Luping

The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday is still lingering, and the seven-day National Day holiday in the Mainland continues to bring more passenger flow to Hong Kong. Dazzling arrangements such as the National Day fireworks display, drone show, and National Day Horse Racing Day are taking turns. This "Asia's event capital" is welcoming millions of tourists from all walks of life with its colorful festivals and inclusive and diverse urban charm.

According to the Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, approximately 1.29 million mainland tourists are expected to visit Hong Kong during the National Day holiday this year. The total number of entry and exit passengers at various sea, land and air control points will reach 7.44 million. The average daily number of visitors to Hong Kong will increase by more than 5% year-on-year.

On September 25, a fire dragon dance folk event was held in Tai Hang, Hong Kong. Photo by China News Service reporter Zhang Xiangyi

The continuously high passenger flow data is not only an intuitive reflection of Hong Kong's booming tourism market, but also a vivid portrayal of Hong Kong's tourism industry, which has been polished in all aspects from diverse urban activities, supporting services to soft services, and is moving towards a high-quality tourism destination.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, a representative project of the national intangible cultural heritage, was performed as scheduled, and the International Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival created an atmosphere of reunion for Hong Kong. As we enter the National Day holiday, fireworks displays light up the night sky of Victoria Harbor, and activities such as drone performances and the National Day Horse Racing Day are held one after another, igniting the cultural and tourism enthusiasm for the festival.

Hong Kong's tourism industry is transforming into an in-depth experience destination that integrates the revitalization of international cultural landmarks such as the West Kowloon Cultural District and historical buildings through in-depth exploration of cultural connotations. This transformation caters to the current needs of tourists pursuing spiritual satisfaction, and has become increasingly mature under the guidance of the SAR government’s promotion of in-depth integration of cultural, sports and tourism. Traditional folk customs retain the memory of the city, and large-scale events enhance the festive atmosphere. Hong Kong is not only a good place to enjoy holiday family time, but also a unique window to explore the integration of Chinese and Western cultures.

In addition, complete supporting services are the "confidence" for smooth operation during Hong Kong's festivals. Facing the peak passenger flow during the holidays, the SAR government made early arrangements and set up a cross-department joint command center to monitor the flow of people at major ports and popular scenic spots in real time.

After years of optimization and improvement, Hong Kong has formed a systematic co-ordination model, in which various agencies and departments coordinate and cooperate efficiently to calmly cope with the passenger flow test during the long holiday. Chan Kwok-kee, Chief Secretary for Administration of the Hong Kong SAR Government, previously stated that the SAR government will maintain close contact with relevant institutions and the tourism industry, and make good crowd management, information release, public transportation and port arrangements to provide quality experiences for tourists visiting Hong Kong.

October 3rd was the National Day holiday in the Mainland, and many tourists visiting Hong Kong came to Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay business district for shopping. Photo by China News Service reporter Zhang Xiangyi

In addition to supporting services, various preferential measures launched by private and official governments are a vivid footnote to Hong Kong's "tourist-oriented approach and thinking about what tourists think". Major media outlets in Hong Kong have launched "National Day Lazy Bags" to facilitate citizens and tourists to check out various promotions. Buy a half-price ticket to watch a "Hong Kong blockbuster" at the cinema, taste Hong Kong-style herbal tea for free at Lei Seng Chun Tang in Mong Kok, and then take the "Ding Ding Car" to travel through the streets of Hong Kong Island and feel the fireworks in the city. Many netizens exclaimed, "I and you Hong Kong (a homophone for "speak" in Cantonese) are really booming."

Recently, Hong Kong’s first five-year plan was officially released, anchoring a clear direction for the development of the cultural tourism industry. The plan mentions that Hong Kong will deepen the coordinated development of culture, sports and tourism and enrich the supply of high-quality tourism products. It is expected that the added value of the tourism industry will reach HK$126 billion in 2030.

Hong Kong's cultural tourism industry has entered a new development stage of quality improvement, diversification and advancement. In the future, relying on the guidance of the first five-year plan, with the leadership of the Hong Kong SAR government and the efforts of the tourism industry, Hong Kong will continue to polish the golden sign of "Asia's Events Capital" and become a "favorite place" for global tourists with a more open and inclusive attitude. (over)