Hong Kong gears up for Labor Day holiday

A visitor takes a photo during Hong Kong Flower Show 2025 at the Victoria Park in south China's Hong Kong, March 14, 2025. [Photo/Xinhua]

As the Labor Day holiday of the Chinese mainland approaches, it is expected that 840,000 mainland visitors will travel to Hong Kong during this period, with various units in the city actively preparing to welcome visitors.

This year's Labor Day holiday runs for five consecutive days, from May 1 to May 5, during which Hong Kong is expected to become even busier than usual.

China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Friday held a meeting of the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements to coordinate and steer the preparatory work of various government departments for welcoming visitors to Hong Kong during the Labor Day holiday.

The HKSAR government estimated a notable increase in visitor arrivals during the Labor Day holiday and will make good preparations for receiving visitors.

It will maintain close coordination with relevant organizations and the tourism sector to ensure effective crowd management, information dissemination, arrangements of public transportation and boundary control points. Measures are ready to address various kinds of emergencies promptly.

According to the Immigration Department of the HKSAR government's estimate, around 5.71 million passengers, including Hong Kong residents and visitors, will pass through Hong Kong's sea, land and air control points during this year's Labor Day holiday.

In terms of mainland inbound visitors, the Immigration Department estimated that around 840,000 passengers will visit Hong Kong via various sea, land and air control points during the five-day holiday. Compared with last year's Labor Day holiday and this year's Chinese New Year holiday, the daily average visitor arrivals are expected to increase by 10 percent and 13 percent, respectively.

Major tourist attractions in Hong Kong have formulated special arrangements to accommodate the estimated increase in people flows.

The Travel Industry Authority has reminded travel agents receiving mainland inbound tour groups to adopt appropriate diversion measures to enable proper management of visitor flows and tour buses, with a view to offering a pleasant travel experience to visitors.

A joint interdepartmental command center, comprising the Police Force, Immigration Department, Hong Kong Customs, and other relevant departments, will be activated from May 1 to May 5 to monitor real-time situations at various control points.

The center will maintain close communication with mainland port authorities through established hotlines and real-time notification mechanisms, allowing for swift responses and adjustments while ensuring smooth operations at control points.

During the holiday, the Tourism Industry Authority will patrol areas with registered shops frequented by inbound tour groups and assist travelers and tour guides to safeguard their rights.

Additionally, the police will continue to step up enforcement actions against any illegal acts of taxi drivers, including overcharging and refusing hires. The customs will intensify inspections of shops serving visitors to combat unfair trade practices.

The HKSAR government hoped to ensure the smooth operation of various aspects in receiving visitors and offering a high-quality experience to them while bringing opportunities to various sectors.