HK partners Chinese travel agents to boost tourism for National Day

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has unveiled a series of initiatives to celebrate the upcoming National Day Golden Week holidays, while partnering with Chinese travel agents to promote the city to the mainland market.

Locally, Hongkongers and visitors will enjoy free tram rides on 1 October. Meanwhile, the food stalls at “A taste of Temple Street” (食聚廟街) night market will offer special discounts from 1 to 7 October. Consumers can enjoy a 25% discount for designated dishes, according to the release. 

Thousands of drones will also light up the night sky over Victoria Harbour on 28 September, featuring Hong Kong’s local characteristics and elements with the theme of the “Galloping horses” (香港馬騰盛世). A dynamic display of Chinese painter Xu Beihong’s (徐悲鴻) signature works will also be recreated in the drone show. 

In addition to the drone show, the HKTB will present a special edition of A Symphony of Lights for the National Day at 8 pm daily throughout October. The special edition will feature special lighting effects with searchlights. A variety of eye-catching motion graphics and celebratory messages will also be displayed on the screens of buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour. On the evening of 26 October (Saturday), some of the participating buildings will also feature rooftop pyrotechnics to bring a more vibrant audiovisual experience to local and visiting viewers.

Beyond Hong Kong, the HKTB has partnered with mainland travel and lifestyle portal Amap (高德地圖) to launch a special promotion “Exploring Hong Kong in National Day Golden Week” that promotes various tourism hotspots in town with rewards. It aims to appeal to visitors to broaden their footprint in Hong Kong and stimulate consumption. 

The first phase of promotion includes a handout of HK$10 million credits to visitors for ride-hailing service in Hong Kong by the Amap. Available until 7 October, visitors can look up “Travel in Hong Kong” in the Amap mobile app to collect cash credits of HK$180 for ride-hailing services. Users can also enjoy a 20% discount on the fee. 

Amap will soon roll out a nighttime travel guide for Hong Kong to offer more recommendations on nighttime itineraries, according to the release.

On the other hand, the HKTB has launched various special offers to encourage mainland visitors to make plans to visit Hong Kong as part of its continuous promotional efforts in mainland. It has cooperated with major travel agents in over 20 mainland cities to promote packaged tourism products in Hong Kong. It has also partnered with China's online travel agency Fliggy (飛豬) to offer flash sales livestream sessions and thematic discount coupons, and steps up publicity through KOL promotion.

To further lure back tourists to the city, the HKTB has also partnered with major travel platforms and airlines to launch a series of tourism products and package deals continuously.

To keep the local public and visitors abreast of the latest information on the National Day Golden Week, the HKTB has set up a dedicated page on its Discover Hong Kong platform, listing out various activities and offers available in town during the period with constant updates. Details of operations of attractions and transports during the Golden Week will also be available later for convenience in planning itineraries.

Dane Cheng, HKTB executive director, said: “From January to August this year, Hong Kong received a total of over 29.5 million visitors. As this is the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China this year, there will be over 400 celebratory events across Hong Kong during the Golden Week. The HKTB has also further stepped up promotions in Mainland markets to attract visitors to come to Hong Kong during the Golden Week holiday and experience Hong Kong’s diverse and rich tourism offerings.”

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Hong Kong is estimated to receive up to 1.2 mainland Chinese visitors during the upcoming National Day "Golden Week" holiday, marking a 20% increase from last year. 

Speaking on a radio programme, Gianna Hsu Wong, chairman of Travel Industry Council (TIC), said with over 400 celebratory events taking place across Hong Kong during Golden Week, council has estimated that between 1.15 million and 1.2 million mainland travellers will visit the city during the seven-day mainland holiday starting on 1 October.

Meanwhile, around 850 mainland tour groups are expected to arrive, involving around 30,000 people, which represents nearly a 10% increase from last year, with most staying for one night.

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