In response to the Wang Fuk Court fire, the SAR government previously announced that this year's New Year's Eve countdown event will be adjusted in format, with the Victoria Harbour fireworks display canceled, and the countdown activity relocated to the pedestrian zone on Chater Road in Central.
Yesterday (Dec. 19), during a radio interview, Fanny Yeung, Executive Director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, expressed confidence that canceling the New Year's Eve fireworks would have minimal impact on the festive atmosphere.
According to her, this year's Christmas theme places greater emphasis on "love and care," with local theme parks and various districts organizing unique countdown activities, which she believes will still effectively create holiday appeal. She is also optimistic about the number of visitors to Hong Kong during the Christmas period, expecting to attract over 1 million visitors, an increase of approximately 10% compared to the same period last year, with the annual number of visitors to Hong Kong expected to exceed 49 million.
Yeung noted that Hong Kong's blend of Eastern and Western cultures and its strong festive atmosphere gives her confidence in the number of inbound tourists in December, even though Christmas is not a traditional holiday in the Mainland.
She also revealed that, affected by the Wang Fuk Court fire, Hong Kong residents' willingness to join outbound tours had declined, with a noticeable decrease in inquiries and bookings. However, this trend began to gradually recover in the second week of this month.
During the Christmas period, she anticipates around 1,500 outbound tour groups, similar to last year. Among these, short-haul high-speed rail tours to mainland China are the most popular, particularly three- to four-day trips to destinations such as Zhaoqing and Guilin. One reason for this, she noted, is the relatively stable pricing of high-speed rail tickets compared to airfares during the same period. For overseas travel, South Korea has become the most popular choice, as "many citizens hope to experience a white Christmas."
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