CS chairs interdepartmental working group meeting on festival arrangements (with photos)
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Mr Chan said, "We estimate a notable increase in visitor arrivals during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government will make good preparations for receiving visitors, as well as maintaining close liaison with relevant organisations and the travel trade to prepare well for crowd management, information dissemination and arrangements of public transportation and boundary control points (BCPs), with a view to responding promptly to various kinds of emergencies and ensure the smooth operation of various aspects in receiving visitors and offering a high-quality experience to them."
Estimated visitor flow and preparatory work
According to the Immigration Department (ImmD)'s estimate, around 5.71 million passengers (including Hong Kong residents and visitors) will pass through Hong Kong's sea, land and air control points during this year's Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland (i.e. from May 1 to 5), among which 4.90 million passengers will pass through land control points.
The ImmD estimates that the peak period of outbound passengers using land BCPs is expected to be May 3 (Saturday) with around 590 000 passengers; whilst the peak period of inbound passengers using land BCPs is expected to be May 5 (Monday) with around 580 000 passengers. Passengers are advised to plan in advance, avoid making their journeys during busy periods and keep track of radio and TV broadcasts on traffic conditions at various control points. The busy times at BCPs are available on the ImmD website at www.immd.gov.hk. Furthermore, residents and passengers may also check the estimated waiting times at each land BCP at any time or place via the Immigration mobile app. They can then plan their trips effectively and save time queuing at control points.
In terms of Mainland inbound visitors, it is estimated that around 840 000 passengers will visit Hong Kong via various sea, land and air control points during the five-day Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland. Compared with last year's Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland and this year’s Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland, the daily average visitor arrivals are expected to increase by 10 per cent and 13 per cent respectively. Major tourist spots have formulated special arrangements to handle the estimated increase of people flows. The Hong Kong community is expected to become more vibrant and highly patronised during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland, bringing opportunities to various sectors.
The Travel Industry Authority (TIA) has also reminded travel agents receiving Mainland inbound tour groups to adopt appropriate diversion measures to enable proper management of visitor flows and tour buses, with a view to offering a pleasant travel experience to visitors. In addition, District Offices will closely monitor the flow of visitors within their respective districts and notify relevant departments having regard to the actual circumstances with a view to strengthening management of the relevant spots.
Co-ordinate control points, traffic and public transport facilities
Relevant departments have minimised leave for frontline officers to enable flexible deployment of manpower and operation of additional counters and channels, with a view to diverting passenger and vehicular flows. The Inter-departmental Joint Command Centre set up by the Police, the ImmD, the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), and other relevant departments will be activated from May 1 (Thursday) to May 5 (Monday) to monitor the real-time situations at various control points. The Joint Command Centre will maintain close liaison with the Mainland port authorities through the established port hotlines and real-time notification mechanisms, and take timely contingency actions as necessary to flexibly deploy manpower at BCPs to ensure smooth operation of the land control points.
For transport arrangements, the Transport Department (TD) has co-ordinated with relevant operators to enhance transportation services connecting various BCPs, including increasing the frequency of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) shuttle bus (Gold Bus) to less than one minute during peak hours, and the Lok Ma Chau-Huanggang cross-boundary shuttle bus (Yellow Bus) to about two minutes at its highest frequency, as well as increasing the quota of cross-boundary coaches to strengthen services; and formulating a contingency plan by providing a dedicated passage for public transport vehicles at the Lok Ma Chau/Huanggang Port and the Shenzhen Bay Port when necessary to ensure smooth public transport services. In addition, Zhuhai’s traffic management department will also arrange a dedicated lane at the HZMB for the use of the Gold Bus, cross-boundary coaches and large vehicles when necessary. Regarding local public transport services, the TD has approached various public transport operators proactively to enhance their capacity, and reserve sufficient vehicles and manpower to meet the travel needs of visitors. The MTR Corporation Limited will enhance the train services of the East Rail Line between Admiralty and Lo Wu/Lok Ma Chau at different times from May 1 to May 5 to provide convenience for the travelling public and visitors. During these periods, the train frequencies to and from Lok Ma Chau will increase to approximately every 7.5 to 10 minutes, while services to Lo Wu will be enhanced to approximately every five minutes. The Emergency Transport Co-ordination Centre of the TD will continue to operate 24 hours a day to closely monitor the traffic conditions and public transport services in all districts, BCPs, and major stations across Hong Kong, and take prompt measures to address service demands and disseminate the latest traffic updates through various channels.
Protection of visitors
The TIA will conduct inspections in districts where relatively more registered shops for inbound tour groups are located during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland, and offer assistance to visitors and tourist guides to protect inbound tour group visitors' rights. Additionally, the Police will continue to step up enforcement actions against any illegal acts of taxi drivers including overcharging and refusing hires. The C&ED will also step up inspections of shops serving visitors to combat unfair trade practices.
Weather forecast
It is expected that the weather will be hot from May 1 to May 4 with sunny periods apart from isolated showers. The weather may become more unstable, with more showers towards the latter part of the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland. The chances of being affected by tropical cyclones are relatively low. The above forecast is a preliminary assessment, and the Hong Kong Observatory will update the forecast depending on the latest change in weather.
Information dissemination
To assist visitors in planning their itineraries, the Government will strengthen information dissemination including the latest inbound visitor arrivals, the situation at various BCPs, transport arrangements, latest weather forecasts, etc to enable residents and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest situation.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board has also launched a dedicated webpage (www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/plan/traveller-info/goldenweek-special-info.html ) to consolidate useful information during the Labour Day Golden Week of the Mainland. The webpage includes information about the opening hours of major sightseeing attractions, public transportation, boundary-crossing services, and other events during the period, including the drone show at the Wan Chai Temporary Promenade to enable residents and visitors to plan their itineraries more conveniently.
Ends/Friday, April 25, 2025
Issued at HKT 19:00
Issued at HKT 19:00
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