China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is celebrating the seven-day National Day holiday starting from Tuesday by offering various incentives and discounts for residents and visitors, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Public tram rides and ferries are free to all passenger during the holidays, while underground rail passengers enjoy a 25 percent fare discount for every ride, including cross-boundary trips.
Public leisure facilities, including swimming pools and basketball courts, along with government-operated museums, are also open to the public free of charge.
Cinemas are enticing moviegoers with half-priced tickets, and at least 10,000 stalls and street vendors are providing a 25-percent discount on their goods.
Around 3,000 restaurants and shops are also offering special deals on selected items.
Canton Road remains one of the most popular shopping destinations for mainland visitors, with one shopper expressing delight at the diversity of big-name brands and styles available.
"There are many big brands, with many different styles and options. I feel great when I'm shopping," said a tourist from the mainland.
Another tourist extended warm birthday wishes to the PRC, expressing her joy at the warm and hospitable welcome.
"It's a bit hot here in Hong Kong, but overall, whether it's the working staff or the local people, they're all very warm and friendly to us," she said.
The metropolis is expected to see around 1.2 million tourist visits from the mainland during the seven-day holiday, up 20 percent from the previous year.
"One of the rather appealing offers is that Hong Kong Tourism Board they have a lot of promotions and then publicity in mainland talking about this National Day, what's happening in Hong Kong. So I think one of the offers is very, I like it very much, attractive to mainland tourist - that is they work with Go Duck, which is an app that they can call for the local transportation service, and then with a 20-percent discount. So I think this is exactly the mode of travel of our mainland visitors, and I think that that helps a lot,” said Fanny Yeung, executive director of the Hong Kong Travel Industry Council.
Another big attraction of the holiday was a firework display over Victoria Harbor on Tuesday night.
The show, which lasted around 23 minutes and featured eight scenes, was themed “splendid fireworks shining over a prosperous China," with a total of 31,888 fireworks illuminating the night sky.
Hong Kong celebrates National Day with alluring promotions and offers
Macao has been emerging as a global hub for conventions and exhibitions in recent years by exploring the enormous opportunities in the sector, driving the region to advance its economic diversification and embrace a brighter future.
Macao has received many awards this year, such as the Best Convention City (Asia) and the Best BT-MICE City, showcasing the recognition for and influence of Macao's exhibition industry.
More than 1,000 electronic game enthusiasts from all over the world gathered recently in Macao to participate in a esports themed event.
Su Zhili, organizer of the event, said that Macao's rich experience in hosting large-scale events, coupled with its good infrastructure, has driven him to choose the region as an ideal destination to hold such an activity.
"Macao has held many similar large-scale events. It has rich experience, and the facilities at the venue are relatively mature, so we can start our work comfortably," said Su.
During the first three quarters of 2024, Macao held more than 1,000 conferences and exhibitions in total.
"We will invite more professional, special conferences to be held in Macao and also cultivate more exhibition brands with international influence in Macao, so as to promote Macao's exhibitions to be more market-oriented, professional, international, digital and greener from various aspects. This is our goal," said Elaine Wong, member of the Macao Commerce and Investment Promotion Institute.
In addition, multiple large exhibitions and conferences, such as the Macao International Trade and Investment fair, the Macao Franchise Expo, and the International Infrastructure Investment and Construction Forum, are held regularly in Macao.
With the introduction of a series of policies and measures to facilitate the exchanges between the mainland and Macao, as well as the construction and development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin, Macao's convention and exhibition industry will embrace more opportunities for development in the foreseeable future.
"We have such a good industrial base in the Greater Bay Area. The mode of 'Convention and Exhibition + Industry' not only integrates the industries of Macao, but also the industries of the Greater Bay Area. In addition, Macao actively integrates into the national development and plays a role in the Belt and Road. Why are we so confident in Macao's convention and exhibition sector? Because it is backed by the motherland, and the country gives Macao great support," said Alan Ho, chairman of the Macao Association of Convention, Exhibition and Tourism Sectors.
Macao emerges as global hub for conventions and exhibitions, driving economic diversification and international recognition
