Hong Kong to welcome 840,000 mainland arrivals for May Day holidays

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is expected to welcome about 840,000 tourists from the Chinese mainland during the upcoming five-day May Day holidays, which would be up 10 percent from the same period last year and up 13 percent from this year's Spring Festival holidays in terms of average daily visitor arrivals, HKSAR Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said on Sunday. 

To enrich visitors' itineraries and enhance their experience, Chan said in his official blog that holiday-themed activities will be promoted. 

Benefiting from thematic events and large-scale international conferences, Hong Kong's visitor arrivals rose by 9 percent to 12.2 million in the first quarter, with mainland visitors up 6 percent. Visitors from other destinations grew by 18 percent to 2.98 million, according to Chan. 

The increase in visitor arrivals boosted services exports and improved the performance of consumer sectors such as retail and catering, Chan noted.

Hong Kong's allure stems from its unique multicultural blend, combining Chinese traditions with Western elements, while its renowned shopping paradise boasts global brands, local products and tax advantages, Jiang Yiyi, an expert on sports and tourism at Beijing Sport University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Jiang noted that the influx of mainland tourists can help drive upgrades of the local services industry, as hotels could enhance Putonghua-speaking staff and tailored dining options, while financial institutions could optimize cross-boundary payment services. Additionally, tourism-related sectors could benefit through new attractions, customized tour routes and retail booms for local specialties.

Regarding Hong Kong's appeal for global travelers, Jiang said that the city benefits from China's growing global stature, amplified by national-level cultural campaigns and tourism promotions that position Hong Kong as a premier destination. She also emphasized Hong Kong's unique role as a gateway between the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world, adding that synergy could be enhanced by resource integration that can combine Hong Kong's cosmopolitan offerings with the cultural heritage sites, natural landscapes and folk traditions in the Chinese mainland. 

Amid the sustained "two-way exchange" trend among Hong Kong, Macao and the Chinese mainland, coupled with cross-boundary facilitation policies, passenger flows through the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge have continued to grow rapidly this year. 

According to data from the Zhuhai border inspection station, the total number of inbound and outbound passengers cleared through the Zhuhai port of the bridge exceeded 10 million between January 1 and Sunday, a year-on-year increase of more than 18.9 percent. It was the shortest time for reaching 10 million passengers since the port's opening, surpassing the 2024 achievement by 25 days, China Media Group reported on Sunday. 

In March, the National Immigration Administration (NIA) announced that Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan residents who lose, damage or forget to carry their travel permits can apply for a temporary electronic permit valid for seven days, allowing them to board flights and trains within mainland cities. The NIA has also launched a verification service linking travel and residence permits, the Xinhua News Agency reported.