Around 373,000 travelers from the Chinese mainland visited Hong Kong during the Lunar New Year period from February 6 to 13, up 14 percent from the holiday last year according to the Hong Kong Immigration Department.
The Lunar New Year is the country's most important traditional festival, and with the expansion of the Individual Visit Scheme increasing numbers of people from the mainland are opting to spend much of the seven-day holiday in Hong Kong. Shopping and touring scenic spots in the relatively warm weather are listed as favorite pastimes of mainland visitors.
Catering to both Hong Kong residents and travelers, about 70 percent of the shops in downtown commercial areas such as Causeway Bay, Tsim Sha Tsui and Mong Kok remained open. Most reported satisfactory sales, with a number of retailers and restaurants indicating that revenues were 30 to 40 percent higher than during the holiday last year.
Around 150,000 travelers passed through the Hong Kong International Airport on February 13, setting a record for single-day passenger traffic since the airport's opening in 1998.
Aircraft movements were highest on February 9, the first day of the Lunar New Year, with 743 landings and takeoffs, against 650 flights on an average day. This came close to the record of 747 aircraft movements on April 9, 2004.
According to the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, the average hotel room occupancy rate reached 86 percent during the holiday period, with travelers from the mainland contributing to the rise.
Anticipating visits by an estimated 660,000 travelers, Hong Kong's tourism departments arranged a night parade and fireworks display on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year.
With many new attractions such as Hong Kong Disneyland coming on stream. analysts believe that Hong Kong's popularity as a tourist destination will remain strong.
(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2005)
