Hong Kong rolls out the red carpet and sets off fireworks to celebrate the “Golden Week” of Labor Day. The sky is the limit

They said that on May 1 alone, there will be 1 million people entering and exiting the city.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Lee Ka-chiu said earlier that 5.9 million arrivals and departures are expected this week, including at least 800,000 mainland tourists visiting the port.

The 10-minute fireworks show held over Victoria Harbor at 8 pm on May 1 will become a highlight of the Golden Week.

The show will create images such as smiling faces and the letters “HK” that will be shot into the night sky at a height of 100 meters (328 feet).

The event coincides with the shopping festival organized by the Yau Tsim Mong District Office and the Council, and 2,200 merchants in shopping malls, hotels and restaurants in Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok will offer limited discounts.

Tsim Sha Tsui is home to some of the most popular tourist attractions, including the Waterfront Walk of Fame, large shopping malls, and numerous restaurants and bars.

Hong Kong prepares to welcome 800,000 mainland tourists during Golden Week holidays

Tourism legislator Yiu Pok-leung said the fireworks would be a spectacular welcome gesture to tourists and spark excitement, but the fireworks themselves were unlikely to become a “major attraction”.

He said: “We hope the (Yau Tsim Mong) Shopping Festival will attract more people and stimulate consumption.”

Yao added that there should be more synergies between fireworks and a series of shopping offers.

Wong Ka-woo, president of the Hong Kong Catering Association, also believes that the activities planned by the tourism authorities will help to warm up the atmosphere.

But he questioned what benefits would come from “areas outside Yau Tsim Mong”?

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Millions flock to China’s major tourist attractions to celebrate National Day

Millions flock to China’s major tourist attractions to celebrate National Day

“The Tourism Board’s current focus is on both sides of Victoria Harbor and the Yau Tsim Mong district, but it seems not much effort has been made in other areas,” Wong said.

He added that business in the restaurant industry will grow by 10% during the holidays compared with off-peak periods.

But Wong warned that sales may be down slightly compared with last year’s Labor Day holiday, partly due to the trend of Hong Kongers traveling to the mainland for shopping.

He said that as tourists increasingly seek in-depth travel experiences, authorities should step up efforts to promote the characteristics and culture of different parts of the city.

Chui Ting-bong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said shopping discounts will be the “highlight” of the five-day holiday.

He added that he hopes the concessions will generate more spending for the city.

Hong Kong’s tourism industry hopes to increase tourist arrivals by 30% during the Golden Week

The Tourism Board and mainland online travel agencies have jointly promoted immersive green tourism, Hong Kong nightlife and the “city stroll” method popular among mainland young people.

Media organizations and content creators from Xi’an in Shaanxi Province and Qingdao in Shandong Province were also invited to Hong Kong to promote the city through social media.

Residents of mainland cities in the two places are allowed to apply for expanded independent travel plans to Hong Kong

Individual travel has covered 49 cities in the mainland, including first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Chongqing.

The program allows residents of eligible cities to travel to Hong Kong on their own without the need to join a tour group.

The bureau also distributed 16,000 discount coupons worth HK$200 (US$25.50) to tourists in Xi’an and Qingdao through travel agencies and airlines.

Border Division Commander Huang Haijia said at a press conference on Thursday that the Immigration Department has deployed about 200 additional frontline personnel to deal with the situation during travel and will cooperate with the authorities to extend the opening hours of checkpoints if necessary.

Wu said the Luohu checkpoint is expected to be the busiest land port, with an average of 200,000 passengers expected to be received daily during the holidays.

Hong Kong’s Temple Street attracts 1.5 million people and will last until the end of the year

The Lok Ma Chau Spur Line is expected to receive 170,000 passengers per day, and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is expected to receive 130,000 passengers per day.

The number of city cars traveling on the bridge has tripled since authorities allowed Hong Kong private cars to travel to the mainland in July last year.

As many as 12,000 cars pass through the checkpoint on most weekends.

Wu said authorities expected trading volumes to increase during the Golden Week.