Hong Kong must improve communications to manage tourists’ expectations of fireworks displays, a tourism veteran has said after visitors from mainland China aired complaints about a scaled-down pyrotechnics display on Labour Day.
It came as Hong Kong saw more than 181,000 arrivals from the mainland on the first day of the May 1 “golden week”.
Timothy Chui, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, told RTHK that he was “pleasantly surprised” to know that some mainland tourists had come to Hong Kong specifically for the scaled-down fireworks display.
However, some Chinese netizens were not impressed by the festivities, complaining about the scale of the pyrotechnics, while others mockingly called the display a “smoke show” after it fogged up the skyline.
The pyrotechnics displays were announced during the 2024 Budget as part of a HK$1.09 billion plan to boost tourism and “soft sell” the city, finance minister Paul Chan said this February.
They are expected to be held monthly, with each display costing roughly HK$1 million.
‘Clear message’ needed
According to Immigration Department figures, some 181,400 mainland tourists crossed the border into Hong Kong on Wednesday, accounting for almost a fourth of the 467,608 arrivals, with most of the remainder being local residents.
Only 27,406 of the 467,608 arrivals on Wednesday were “other visitors,” according to official data, which refers to foreigners entering the city other than local or mainland visitors.
The figure for mainland tourist arrivals marks a 40 per cent increase over the 129,349 arrivals during last year’s Labour Day. The city expects more than 800,000 visitors from the mainland over golden week, which lasts from May 1 to 5.
Chui attributed those figures to the government’s promotional efforts on Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, adding that he believed more people would have come if the weather had been better.
But he also said the government should send a “clear message” that the pyrotechnics displays are scaled down from larger, longer-lasting displays such as those held on National Day or Lunar New Year so that tourists would know what to expect.
Some Chinese netizens complained about the scale of the fireworks, saying they had been “scammed”.
“Good thing I didn’t rent out a yacht to see the pyrotechnics. Doesn’t it feel like a gimmick to cheat tourists into spending money?” one Xiaohongshu user said, complaining that the low-altitude display only lasted 10 minutes.
The fireworks were fired directly from ground level, creating a large cloud of grey smoke from the fireworks that could be seen drifting across Victoria Harbour.
Chui said the smoky skyline was a result of the rain. “I think visitors who came to Hong Kong were generally satisfied. On social media, it’s normal for people to say a few things,” he added.
Lawmaker Peter Shiu, representing the retail industry, said the government could devote more resources for publicity.
Speaking on the same radio programme, he said the fireworks were a “shining light” for Hong Kong that would help drive tourism.
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.
Tourism Board data 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.
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