Golden Week tourists want to boost the city with HK$2 billion

Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said the total number of mainland tourists coming to Hong Kong should reach the estimated 800,000 mark when Golden Week ends on Sunday, adding that this will boost the economy by more than HK$2 billion would boost.

Yeung said in a radio program on Sunday that about 670,000 mainland tourists had already come to the area in the first four days despite the rainy weather.

“The entire Guangdong province was affected by the unstable weather, and tourists can see that the weather is also not so good in Hong Kong, so they may postpone their trip. However, the overall figures are not bad,” he said.

“I believe we will reach our estimated number of tourists. If about 800,000 mainland tourists come to Hong Kong, I think we can earn more than $2 billion in consumption. Even though we have only reached about 700,000 people so far, we should still exceed $2 billion.”

Commenting on the mixed reviews of the Labor Day pyrotechnic display, Yeung said it was no surprise that people had expectations for the fireworks show, but that the weather was unpredictable in how it would affect the viewing experience.

“Rain is hard to predict, unlike the wind that comes when it comes. Even when you see rain clouds, you don’t know if it will actually rain. So until 4 p.m. of that day we decided it was appropriate to show the “, he said.

“I was watching from the top of a bridge where the wind was blowing, so the smoke did reach me from the start of the fireworks. However, people have sent me clear and beautiful photos of the show from other angles.”

He added that they would learn from this experience and do better in publicity and expectation management in the future.