Visitor arrival to Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year holidays (Feb. 10 to 13) continues to recover, with various arrangements for receiving visitors rolling out smoothly, a Government spokesman said yesterday (Feb. 14).
The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung, said, "In the past few days over the Chinese New Year, the inbound visitor number reached the level in the same period in 2018, matching earlier estimates. The night parade on the first day of Chinese New Year, the fireworks display on the second day, the horse race on the third day and the soccer match on the fourth day yesterday were all well received and further boosted the festive vibes."
The preliminary inbound visitor number from Chinese New Year's Day to the fourth day of Chinese New Year (Feb. 10 to 13) stood at around 750,000, among which 650,000 visitors were from the Mainland and this figure was higher than that in the same period in 2018 when 640,000 Mainland visitors came to Hong Kong. A total of around 1,200 Mainland inbound tour groups involving around 40,500 visitors came to Hong Kong during the four days. Both the numbers of Mainland inbound tour groups and tour group visitors exceeded those during the same periods of the Chinese New Year Golden Weeks of the Mainland before the pandemic.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board organized the 2024 International Chinese New Year Night Parade on Chinese New Year's Day, with floats and performing groups from around the world creating a wonderful parade. After a four-year hiatus, the fireworks display was held on the second day of Chinese New Year to celebrate the festive season with the public and visitors. The Chinese New Year Raceday on the third day of the Chinese New Year attracted a large number of members of the public and visitors to Sha Tin Racecourse. The Chinese New Year Cup at Hong Kong Stadium yesterday (February 13), the fourth day of Chinese New Year, enabled members of the public to enjoy a dynamic sports atmosphere during Chinese New Year. These events were very popular among the public as well as visitors, with the number of participants of individual events exceeding the level before the pandemic. They showcased Hong Kong's diverse characteristics with the convergence of Chinese and Western cultures, and successfully attracted visitors to come to Hong Kong and experience the unparalleled Chinese New Year festive atmosphere.
Visitors went to different parts of Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year holidays. Major tourist attractions, including Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, the Peak Tram, Ngong Ping 360 and the West Kowloon Cultural District, were with high volumes of visitor flow. Visitor figures of individual tourist attractions even approached or exceeded the level before the pandemic. In addition, according to the trade, the overall hotel occupancy rate reached 90 percent.
There are a few days left till the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland ends. Various government departments, relevant organizations and the trade will continue to attract and receive visitors coming to Hong Kong, and create wonderful travel experiences for them.
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