A tourism industry representative said on Wednesday that the number of tour groups expected in Hong Kong during the mainland's National Day Golden Week holiday is less than ideal.

On an RTHK radio programme, Sara Leung, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Employees General Union, noted that 850 groups are expected to come to the SAR over the holiday period next week.

This would be a rise of 10 percent from last year, but below the 500 groups per day seen in 2018.

Leung also questioned how much of a draw a drone show on September 30 will be, when a bigger one will be held in Wuhan.

"The scale is much larger than in Hong Kong. Therefore as this kind of show is also available on the mainland, the one in Hong Kong won't be so much of a draw that visitors think they will have to come here to see it," she said.

"Of course, those living nearby in the Greater Bay Area might decide to come if it is easier for them to get here than Wuhan. But whether they stay overnight or not, the more convenient the journey to the SAR is, the slimmer the chance of them doing so."

Caspar Tsui, executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, agreed that many visitors during Golden Week are likely to come to the city for the day.

"Many of those on tours are just here for a day trip, or some would only stay in Hong Kong for a maximum of one night. Even though travellers will come to Hong Kong during the Golden Week holiday, their mentality has changed," he said.

"The government always asks us about the booking situation for the holiday two to three months, or two to three weeks in advance. But we told them that we might not know about the situation even until three days ahead of the check-in date. There are a lot of last minute cancellations due to the weather."

Tsui urged the government to notify the sector about its promotional campaigns earlier, so the industry can better prepare for major holidays.