The executive director of the Travel Industry Council, Fanny Yeung, on Tuesday said Mid-Autumn Festival events in the SAR will attract even more mainland tourists over the upcoming Golden Week holiday.

This year, the usual week-long National Day Golden Week holiday on the mainland will be extended to eight days due to its overlap with the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Yeung said she expects a 10 percent surge in visitors to Hong Kong compared to the Golden Week period last year.

“One advantage of including the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Golden Week holiday is that some tourists may arrive in Hong Kong the weekend before October 1, effectively extending the eight-day holiday. The popular Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance is held for three consecutive days and has long attracted tourists,” she said.

The fire dragon dance is set for October 5-7.

To improve the travel experience, the council will put up a news bulletin on its website detailing the real-time situation at tourist hotspots such as the Peak Tram and East Dam, Yeung added.

A shopping mall in Kwun Tong has also made preparations for an expected tourism surge.

Fung Wing-yan, assistant leasing manager of Sun Hung Kai Real Estate, said the mall has set up various Hong Kong-themed photo spots and a bazaar with local characteristics.

She said she expects more long-distance customers this year and that they will spend between HK$3,000 and HK$5,000 on average.

"With eight days for this year's Golden Week holiday, long-distance travellers have the opportunity to visit Hong Kong. Our focus is on the middle class and wealthy individuals,” she said.

“It’s also popular for multiple generations of families to travel together, and they will take this opportunity to visit Hong Kong. These travellers have considerable spending power, but are interested in purchasing limited or special edition items.”

Meanwhile, more than 3,000 eateries will offer discounts of up to 30 percent on October 1, with several restaurants extending the promotions throughout the entire Golden Week.