HK has the capacity to welcome more tourists: Law
Tourism minister Rosanna Law says the visitor numbers for Friday have reached a daily record high since the pandemic. Photo: RTHK
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said on Tuesday she believes Hong Kong has the capacity to accommodate more travellers despite some tourist hotspots being crowded during the Labour Day Golden Week.
Following the end of the five-day holiday, Chief Executive John Lee requested the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, relevant departments and the sector to study the travel patterns and interests of incoming visitors.
Speaking at a Legislative Council panel meeting, Law said Hong Kong saw 1.1 million tourists in the first five days of this month and that visitor numbers for Friday hit a daily record high since the pandemic.
But Business and Professionals Alliance lawmaker Benson Luk asked whether the government has plans to conduct an assessment of the city's capacity to receive tourists, like what the authorities did in 2013.
Law said Hong Kong saw a significant rise in the number of tourists during the past five days but pointed out that attractions in other places, such as on the mainland, were even more crowded during the holiday.
"Some attractions, like the East Dam, were indeed crowded," she said.
"But the order and the flow of people were smooth.
"We will look into it and summarise our experiences to make sure we can handle situations better during peak seasons, such as during the Golden Week.
"But I'm not worried in the short term about the overall capacity to receive tourists."
Law added that the government has to look at ways to attract tourists to visit Hong Kong during different times, not just peak seasons.
The Tourism Board has predicted that Hong Kong would see about 49 million visitor arrivals this year, a 10 percent increase from last year.
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