The Lunar New Year holiday in mainland China is approaching! Estimated 1.38 million mainland visitors to Hong Kong

The structure of visitors to Hong Kong presents distinct characteristics, with individual travel becoming the absolute mainstay. On February 10th, Cui Dingbang, the General Secretary of the Hong Kong Tourism Promotion Association, stated on a radio program that it is expected that over 95% of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong will be solo travelers during the Lunar New Year holiday, with the number exceeding 1.3 million; However, the scale of tour groups visiting Hong Kong is relatively limited. The Tourism Administration previously estimated that there would be about 2200 mainland tour groups visiting Hong Kong during the holiday, involving about 86000 tourists, which is basically the same as the "tour group of only about 80000 people" mentioned by Cui Dingbang. The overall passenger flow composition remains consistent with the trend in recent years.

Regarding the positioning of tour group tourists, Cui Dingbang also made an explanation. He stated that the tourists participating in the tour group to visit Hong Kong are mainly those who have never visited Hong Kong before. He hopes that through a tight schedule of one or two days, these tourists can experience the charm of Hong Kong, have fun, and attract them to visit Hong Kong again in the future, or actively "speak up" for Hong Kong tourism and help spread the reputation of the Hong Kong tourism market.

The increase in passenger flow has also driven a moderate recovery trend in the Hong Kong hotel market. Cui Dingbang pointed out that the Victoria Harbour Fireworks Display will be held on the second day of the Lunar New Year in Hong Kong this year (February 18th), which has directly driven up the booking volume and room prices of hotels on both sides of the Victoria Harbour. It is reported that the fireworks display will last for 23 minutes, with 31888 fireworks set off and a budget of over HKD 19 million. It is the first time that it has been exclusively sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and is expected to attract a large number of tourists to stop and watch.

Benefiting from the fireworks display and the influx of visitors during the Chinese New Year, the overall hotel room prices in Hong Kong have shown a moderate upward trend. Cui Dingbang revealed that the overall room rate of hotels in Hong Kong increased by about 10% during the holiday. He described this increase as "friendly and gentle", believing that the moderate room rate increase not only reflects market heat, but also does not excessively increase the burden on tourists, which helps to balance the experience of tourists and industry revenue. Many hotels have also launched exclusive accommodation packages for fireworks displays, further boosting booking volume. Among them, the luxurious sea view room fireworks package at Hong Kong Hopewell Hotel starts at HKD 3888 per room per night. Guests can enjoy the fireworks view in their rooms and receive selected champagne and a complimentary breakfast for two.

In addition to the hotel industry, the growth of New Year's passenger flow will also radiate to related industries such as catering, retail, and scenic spots in Hong Kong. With the continued implementation of policies such as "Guangdong Bus Southbound", it is more convenient for tourists from the Greater Bay Area to travel to Hong Kong. In addition, with the support of various Chinese New Year activities in Hong Kong, it is expected that the core business districts and popular attractions in Hong Kong will once again be bustling during the holiday, further promoting the comprehensive recovery of the tourism market.