Chief Executive John Lee said on Tuesday that 1.1 million tourists arrived in Hong Kong during the ‘Golden Week’ holiday, a 22% increase over the previous year. People take long vacations and travel for leisure and shopping in countries like China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Macau, which observe public holidays around May 1 as Labor Day. While not a traditional festival, Hong Kong, like Japan, celebrates its version by calling this time of year “Golden Week” to draw tourists.
Golden Week this year began on Thursday and lasted for five days. Local media reported that although 800,000 tourists were anticipated, the actual number of visitors reached 1.1 million, exceeding projections and reflecting pre-COVID levels. But the surge also presented fresh difficulties. Transportation and lodging problems resulted from the large crowd.
Tourists at a McDonald’s restaurant in Mong Kok were seen sleeping on tables in a widely shared social media photo, indicating that they had nowhere to stay. Lee responded by giving the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) and associated departments instructions to work with the industry to carry out a thorough review.
An interdepartmental task force headed by the Chief Secretary will receive a report. Lee underlined the importance of welcoming all guests, regardless of their financial situation. “They may come back and contribute more in the future, even if their spending is modest now,” he stated. In order to reduce the strain on visitors, locals, and businesses, he also advocated for real-time crowd status updates, online queue information systems, and upgrades to telecommunication networks in congested areas.
