Hong Kong welcomed 723,587 visitors during the five-day break last year, 86 per cent or 625,538 of whom were from the mainland.
Yiu said the sector had made “sufficient preparations” based on experience from previous holidays such as the Lunar New Year in February and National Day in October last year.
“I think the key is to find ways to present old offerings in new or refreshing and innovative ways, which the industry has been working on for a while now,” he said. “We understand visitors are looking for more cultural experiences, so we have been promoting in-depth tours that introduce the city’s history, as well as green tours that show our natural landscape.”
He also pointed to new offerings, including the monthly pyrotechnic and drone shows in Victoria Harbour, first announced in finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po’s budget in February.
The Tourism Board said the first pyrotechnic display was set to take place on May 1, while a drone show would be staged on May 11.
Jack Cheung Ki-tang, a director at CTS HK Metropark Hotels Management, said room bookings for the May 1 holiday period had reached about 50 per cent of capacity, and he remained “optimistic” business would be strong this year.
“Around this time last year, the occupancy rate for the golden week was around 40 per cent, so there is definitely some improvement,” he said, adding solid business performance from several previous mainland holidays gave him confidence.
The group also saw some bookings by travelers from the cities of Qingdao and Xian, after the solo visitor scheme was extended to include their residents in March, but they “did not take up a significant proportion of overall bookings by mainland tourists”, he said.
Cheung said his hotels were also working on creating souvenirs to hand out to visitors during the period.
Hong Kong’s John Lee vows to attract more tourists during ‘golden week’ holiday
The Tourism Board said the city received 3.4 million visitors last month, a 38.6 per cent increase over the year before, with more than 70 per cent – or 2.47 million – coming from the mainland.
John Lee also acknowledged on Tuesday that the city was undergoing “a new period of economic development” and that he was pleased local businesses were adapting to shifting demands and consumption patterns of visitors.
He was echoing a call by Xia Baolong, director of the State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, that the city should seek and embrace changes.
Hong Kong’s leader urges businesses to get creative amid shifting spending habits
Ricky Tse Kam-ting, founding president of the Hong Kong Inbound Tour Operators Association, said it was too early to determine how many visitors, especially those from across the border, would come during the holiday period.
“Mainland visitors mostly come via the high-speed rail nowadays, so there is no need to book flights, and their stays are usually just one or two days,” he said. “I think we will likely get a better picture a week before the holiday starts.”