Hong Kong is gearing up for the Christmas and New Year holidays with a full slate of events to attract visitors, while interdepartmental preparations are underway, covering event and crowd management, special traffic arrangements and ways to disseminate information.
Even before the festive season kicked off, Hong Kong began to stage festive events, with decorations springing up across the city to attract holidaymakers.
Since mid-November, WinterFest — an event organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) — has turned Statue Square Gardens in Central into a wonderland, featuring a 20-meter-tall Christmas tree, a 360-degree immersive light show, starlight boulevard and other enchanting decorations.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Winter Carnival — a beloved winter tradition — has returned, transforming the Central harborfront into an amusement park with new rides and more games.
Holiday vibes are also intensifying on the opposite side of Victoria Harbour, with the WestK Christmas Town now in full swing in the landmark West Kowloon Cultural District.
Attractions and businesses across the city, such as at Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park and the Ngong Ping 360, have rolled out special holiday events, turning the city into a sea of festive joy.
The HKTB has launched a dedicated webpage to highlight festival event arrangements, which also provides the waiting times at the city’s major attractions to help visitors plan their itineraries.
Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, told China Daily that the tourism industry’s business performance during the year-end season has met expectations, adding that the recent tourism figures have given him a sense of confidence in the sector for the upcoming holidays.
Four Chinese mainland residents — Roride Luo and Piper Hu from Sichuan province, and Chubby Chen and Harvey He from Hunan province — plan to spend Christmas together in Hong Kong, drawn by the city’s “strong festive atmosphere and beautiful scenery”.
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“I’ve visited Hong Kong before but always wanted to return, specifically during the Christmas holidays,” said Luo, adding that she feels excited about the city’s holiday offerings.
On Tuesday, Hong Kong’s Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles program was officially launched, allowing approved private cars from Guangdong province to enter Hong Kong’s urban area via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, with an initial daily quota of 100 vehicles.
Hong Kong Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said she hopes those arriving by car from Guangdong will be able to enjoy Hong Kong’s holiday vibes and share their experience of the Christmas and New Year events with others in the mainland.
Arrangements are in place to handle the expected holiday crowds, particularly the influx of tourists for the New Year countdown events.
On Dec 17, Chief Secretary for Administration Eric Chan Kwok-ki chaired a meeting of the interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, at which he requested all government departments to prepare early — including by actively coordinating boundary control points and transportation and disseminating information effectively.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang control points will operate a 24-hour service as usual over New Year’s Eve/Jan 1. Service hours at other ports on Dec 31 and Jan 1 will be announced following coordination with mainland authorities.
Public transportation operators have been advised to boost their capacity during the holiday period. The MTR Corp — Hong Kong’s sole railway operator — will run most lines overnight on the eves of Christmas and New Year. After the New Year countdown events it will also extend services to and from Lo Wu station if the checkpoint’s operating hours are extended.
Bus companies will also reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower, especially for cross-boundary services. For instance, after Lo Wu Station closes in the early morning of Jan 1, bus services between Sheung Shui MTR station and San Tin “yellow bus” station will be increased to facilitate passengers using the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang control point.
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Police will continue to step up enforcement actions against any taxi drivers who commit offenses, including overcharging and refusing hire. Customs officers will also increase their inspections of shops to combat unfair trade practices.
Gaby Lin and Fu Yinglin contributed to the story.
