Speaking on a commercial-radio programme on 7 February, Secretary for Culture, Sports & Tourism Rosanna Law revealed that hotel reservations had reached roughly 80 percent even before the government confirmed a 15-minute fireworks extravaganza on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Bookings spiked further after the fireworks were announced, indicating robust pent-up travel demand from the mainland.(gbcode.rthk.hk)
Law reiterated Immigration Department forecasts of 1.43 million visitor arrivals and urged travellers to stagger trips to ease pressure on checkpoints. She noted that the festival calendar is packed: the return of the Cathay/HSBC Parade on New Year’s Day, a 20-float street procession through Tsim Sha Tsui on 17 February, the harbour fireworks on 18 February, and a re-branded Lunar New Year Cup football event at Hong Kong Stadium.
Meanwhile, visitors who still need to sort out travel documents can turn to VisaHQ, which provides streamlined online visa and entry-permit processing for Hong Kong and dozens of other destinations—helpful for both individual tourists and corporate travel coordinators looking to beat peak-season paperwork backlogs (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/).
![Tourism chief Rosanna Law says hotel bookings already 80 % ahead of Lunar New Year rush]()
Authorities have promised stringent enforcement against so-called ‘black cabs’ and taxi refusals, which drew complaints during last year’s Golden Week. Transport Department inspectors will conduct blitz operations around the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge terminus, West Kowloon high-speed-rail station and major tourist hotspots.
For the events industry, the outlook is bullish. The Tourism Board expects crowd-pulling spectacles to inject HK$1.8 billion (US$230 million) into the retail and F&B sectors. Corporate travel managers are advised to secure block bookings early and to brief assignees on possible same-day price surcharges for ride-hailing services.
Law’s upbeat assessment underscores the government’s broader agenda to revive ‘visitor economy’ GDP to its pre-pandemic 2018 level by 2027. Success over Lunar New Year will be critical to hitting that target, analysts say.
Law reiterated Immigration Department forecasts of 1.43 million visitor arrivals and urged travellers to stagger trips to ease pressure on checkpoints. She noted that the festival calendar is packed: the return of the Cathay/HSBC Parade on New Year’s Day, a 20-float street procession through Tsim Sha Tsui on 17 February, the harbour fireworks on 18 February, and a re-branded Lunar New Year Cup football event at Hong Kong Stadium.
Meanwhile, visitors who still need to sort out travel documents can turn to VisaHQ, which provides streamlined online visa and entry-permit processing for Hong Kong and dozens of other destinations—helpful for both individual tourists and corporate travel coordinators looking to beat peak-season paperwork backlogs (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/).
Authorities have promised stringent enforcement against so-called ‘black cabs’ and taxi refusals, which drew complaints during last year’s Golden Week. Transport Department inspectors will conduct blitz operations around the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge terminus, West Kowloon high-speed-rail station and major tourist hotspots.
For the events industry, the outlook is bullish. The Tourism Board expects crowd-pulling spectacles to inject HK$1.8 billion (US$230 million) into the retail and F&B sectors. Corporate travel managers are advised to secure block bookings early and to brief assignees on possible same-day price surcharges for ride-hailing services.
Law’s upbeat assessment underscores the government’s broader agenda to revive ‘visitor economy’ GDP to its pre-pandemic 2018 level by 2027. Success over Lunar New Year will be critical to hitting that target, analysts say.
