A marine pyrotechnic display will take place across Victoria Harbour during next Wednesday’s May Day public holiday, kicking off a campaign of regular fireworks shows to boost tourism, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has announced.

In a statement released on Thursday, the HKTB said the fireworks show will begin at 8pm on Labour Day near the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. The theme will be the colour gold, showcasing the initials “HK” and a smiley face.

The government announced during the 2024 Budget that some HK$1.09 billion had been allocated to boost tourism, with the HKTB hosting regular firework displays and drone shows as well as promoting activities such as city walks and hiking.

“It’s all part of an energising effort to soft-sell Hong Kong,” the financial chief Paul Chan said in Cantonese when he delivered the budget in late February.

Mainland Chinese residents enjoy five days of public holiday during the Labour Day Golden Week between May 1 and May 5. In a Thursday statement, the Immigration Department predicted that the city will process 5.7 million inbound or outbound travellers between April 30 and May 5.

Aside from the fireworks display, the HKTB announced that it had strengthened promotions “targeting mainland markets” prior to the Labour Day Golden Week, including partnerships with mainland Chinese influencers and travel agencies to promote the city.

The tourism board – a statutory body – has not responded to HKFP’s enquiries as to whether influencers it partnered with are paid, or have editorial independence.

This year, the HKTB has targeted mainland cities such as Xi’an and Qingdao, where residents have been allowed to visit Hong Kong on an individual visa as of early March, after Beijing further expanded a travel scheme for mainland travellers.

According to the HKTB, 16,000 discount coupons of HK$200 each have been distributed to visitors from the two cities.

Slow recovery of international tourists

Since Hong Kong reopened its borders last March following the Covid-19 pandemic, the number of mainland tourists has recovered more rapidly than international visitors, with many looking to social media for suggestions on where to visit.

During the National Day Golden Week holiday last October, Hong Kong welcomed about 1.1 million mainland Chinese tourists, with the daily average number of arrivals from across the border reaching about 85 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

Data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board shows that the number of mainland tourists in the last quarter of 2023 had recovered to around 80 per cent of the average seen in the five-year period between 2015 and 2019.

International tourists, however, saw a recovery of around just 60 per cent. Among them, visitors from South and Southeast Asia recorded the fastest growth. Numbers from Europe and the United States lagged behind.

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