Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law stated on Saturday that mainland tourist arrivals to Hong Kong during National Day exceeded pre-pandemic levels, raising hopes for strong visitor numbers across the entire year.

Speaking on a television programme, she said the city welcomed around 277,000 mainland tourists on the first day of the Golden Week holiday – accounting for roughly 91 percent of the total inbound travelers for the day.

Law noted that the figure surpassed the 2018 record by 17,000.

As for the impact of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which fell shortly before the Golden Week holiday, she said visitor numbers surged by 28 percent over the weekend.

Despite believing that the city will meet its target of 53.8 million visitor arrivals for the year, Law said challenges remained due to global conditions.

“There may not be as many flights. Even when flights have resumed as normal, oil prices have kept airfares high,” she said.

“This will impact particularly short-haul visitors, such as those from Southeast Asia, their willingness to spend and their desire to visit Hong Kong.”

Law went on to say that the city would step up promotional efforts in short-haul markets once the situation stabilises.

Looking ahead, Law stressed that the SAR would continue to work on gauging travellers' preferences, noting that such changes are a global trend.

They now tend to look for creative and cultural experiences, she added.




Edited by Azam Khan