More than 980,000 Chinese mainland visitors arrived in Hong Kong during the first five days of the week-long National Day holiday, up 35 percent from the same period last year, according to the Immigration Department of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Sunday.
The holiday, starting on October 1 and known as "Golden Week," is one of China's largest annual public holidays.
Benson Kwok, director of Immigration of the HKSAR government, said on Sunday that more than 220,000 mainland visitors arrived in Hong Kong on Oct 1, the National Day, a significant increase compared with about 177,000 on the same day last year.
The figures reflected the popularity of various activities organized by the KHSAR government and various sectors of the community, and also proved that Hong Kong still has its attractiveness, Kwok said, expecting the total number of arrivals and departures to reach 300 million by the end of this year.
According to the Immigration Department, all entry ports have maintained smooth operation over the past few days, and the Lo Wu and Lok Ma Chau Spur Line checkpoints were busier than others.
The Immigration Department has also applied various technological means to improve efficiency and facilitate the entry and exit procedure during the holiday.
"The three of us are college students, and we applied for Hong Kong and Macao Pass to have a two-day trip here during the National Day holiday," said Lin, a mainland tourist.
"This time when I come to Hong Kong, I heard many people speak Mandarin on the street. There are quite a lot of mainland tourists. As for the scenery, [Hong Kong has] the Golden Bauhinia Square where we are standing now, Victoria Harbor, and the Hong Kong Observation Wheel where we are going later, as well as the Victoria Peak," said Wu, another mainland tourist.
Some tourists from the mainland were amazed at the big changes in Hong Kong over the past few years.
"It has been about five years since my last visit to Hong Kong, and there have been a lot of changes. I am really proud of our motherland, and I wish our country to become more and more prosperous and powerful," said Deng, another mainland tourist.
Over 980,000 mainland tourists visit Hong Kong during National Day holiday
Various celebrations are being staged across China in anticipation of the fast-approaching New Year's Day and the upcoming Chinese New Year holiday, or Spring Festival, boosting the market for related goods as more revelers get into the festive spirit.
In Beijing, more than 1,000 lanterns themed around fashion and technology are offering a colorful display in the city's Wenyuhe Park, making it one of the largest lantern festivals in the city this year.
In Shanghai, business districts have launched a series of themed decorations, exhibitions, performances, and interactive activities. Local authorities have also distributed consumption coupons, further stimulating consumer spending during the New Year's Day holiday, which falls on Wednesday.
In the nearby city of Hangzhou in the eastern Zhejiang Province, several promotional activities have been introduced to boost consumption. Additionally, business areas and shopping streets have been upgraded to meet the consumer demand for high-quality goods.
Special Spring Festival fairs have also been set up across the country as Chinese people gear up for their largest annual celebration around the Chinese New Year, which lands at the end of January in 2025.
In Huaiyuan County of east China's Anhui Province, a local fair is attracting visitors with a variety of well-known agricultural products. In Zhangzhou City of the coastal Fujian Province, a one-stop feature fair allows both visitors and locals to purchase a wide range of items.
Meanwhile, in northeast China's Jilin Province, local authorities in the city of Ji'an have sought to take advantage of the snowy conditions by integrating winter sports, offering visitors the chance to enjoy a range of snow and ice activities while shopping for Spring Festival goods.
Additionally, flowers are in high demand at many marketplaces across China as more people look to prepare some floral decorations as part of the celebrations.
In Kunming of southwest China's Yunnan Province, a special flower street featuring Chinese New Year flowers has been set up, where over 15,000 flowers are available, including more than 120 varieties of orchids.
Local flower markets area also in full bloom in various other places, from the northern cities of Shijiazhuang and Taiyuan to Hetian in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, all offering a wide variety of creative and unique flowers, which have been well received by residents.
New Year celebrations help boost market for festive goods
