The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements today said that the number of visitors to Hong Kong reached around 1.77 million for the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland from February 15 to yesterday, with various arrangements for receiving visitors rolling out smoothly.

During the nine-day Golden Week, the Immigration Department recorded around 1.77 million visitors to Hong Kong, with Mainland visitors accounting for about 1.5 million. The daily average of Mainland visitors was around 170,000.

Mainland visitor arrivals peaked at around 210,000 on February 18, the second day of the Chinese New Year. The Express Rail Link West Kowloon Control Point received the highest number, followed by the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point.

They visited different parts of Hong Kong during Golden Week, with high visitor flow seen at major tourist attractions, including the West Kowloon Cultural District, Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, the Peak Tram and Ngong Ping 360.

The hotel occupancy rate during this period generally reached 90%.

Around 2,400 Mainland inbound tour groups came to the city during Golden Week, with around 74% engaging in overnight itineraries. These tour groups covered around 84,000 visitors.

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, who leads the interdepartmental working group, noted that the diverse and enriching celebration events held in Hong Kong during this period were well received by the public and visitors alike.

The events included the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade, the fireworks display and the Chinese New Year Raceday, taking place on the first three days of the Chinese New Year respectively. There was also the Chinese New Year Cup football match on the fifth day of the festival.

Mr Chan thanked all relevant government departments, organisations and industry partners for their collaborative efforts and close co-ordination in receiving visitors, which provided citizens and visitors with a warm and welcoming festive experience in Hong Kong.