China News Service, Hong Kong, February 20 (Reporter Dai Xiaolu) When meeting the media before attending the executive meeting on the 20th, Hong Kong SAR Chief Executive Li Ka-chao said that during the Spring Festival Golden Week in the mainland, about 1.436 million tourists visited Hong Kong. About 1.255 million of them were mainland tourists. In addition, the occupancy rate of Hong Kong hotels has exceeded 80%, and different dining and retail outlets have also benefited.
Li Jiachao said that at the beginning of the Year of the Dragon, Hong Kong has seen positive development in many aspects. During the Spring Festival Golden Week on the mainland, the average daily number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong was about 157,000, which was about 15% higher than during the National Day holiday in 2023. It is approximately 25% higher than the Labor Day holiday in 2023, and also exceeds the average daily number of visitors during the same period in 2018. During the period, a total of about 1,980 mainland tour groups came to Hong Kong, with an average of more than 200 groups per day, exceeding the daily average of 170 groups in the same period in 2018.
Li Jiachao said that according to industry reports, the occupancy rate of Hong Kong hotels was as high as 90% in the days before the Spring Festival Golden Week in the Mainland; during the entire Golden Week of the Spring Festival in the Mainland, the occupancy rate of Hong Kong hotels exceeded 80%.
Li Jiachao mentioned that the SAR government, the industry and practitioners in various industries have their own division of labor. The SAR government will continue to do a good job in leading and promoting work, building platforms and organizing activities. Practitioners in various industries must continue to provide high-quality services and bring good experiences to passengers. , attracting tourists to visit Hong Kong again. He emphasized that the SAR government is responsible for bringing "popularity" and the industry must turn "popularity" into "wealth" to increase Hong Kong's competitiveness and attractiveness. He said that Hong Kong is competing with cities around the world. Hong Kong has the advantages of flexibility and constant innovation. He believes that Hong Kong people will definitely exert their power again and create new horizons.
Li Jiachao said that many activities that were moved to other places during the epidemic are gradually returning to Hong Kong. In addition, many cultural activities will debut in Hong Kong for the first time. The SAR government will continue to promote the event economy through a multi-pronged approach. A number of major events will be held in Hong Kong in the next month. Related activities will also drive tourism, hotel catering, retail and other industry developments. (over)