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South China Morning Post
17-06-2025
- South China Morning Post
14 Hongkongers in Israel, Iran and Jordan contact authorities amid conflict
Authorities have received inquiries from 14 Hongkongers in three Middle Eastern countries caught up in the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, while a travel sector representative has said there were no tour groups from the city in those areas. The Immigration Department said it had received the inquiries from the Hongkongers in Israel, Iran and Jordan as of Monday 5pm. Two of them had already left. Since late last week, Israel and Iran have launched multiple attacks against each other in various cities, including their respective capitals Tel Aviv and Tehran. The airspace in neighbouring Jordan, which was closed down twice amid the conflict, was reopened on Sunday, but the situation remained chaotic. Fanny Yeung Shuk-fun, executive director of the Travel Industry Council, told the Post on Tuesday the group did not have information of any Hong Kong tours currently in the three countries, and it had not received any request for help so far. Israeli soldiers search through the rubble of residential buildings destroyed by an Iranian missile strike in Bat Yam, central Israel, on Sunday. Photo: AP She added no tour groups from the city had to her knowledge visited those areas for a long time.
South China Morning Post
07-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
Two-thirds of tour groups stayed overnight in Hong Kong during ‘golden week'
Nearly two-thirds of visitors in tour groups who visited Hong Kong over the Labour Day 'golden week' holiday opted for overnight stays, according to industry leaders, who have called for better crowd control measures and guides to be trained to meet the growing demand for more in-depth travel experiences. Advertisement Fanny Yeung Shuk-fun, executive director of Travel Industry Council, said on Wednesday that the city welcomed about 920,000 mainland tourists during the five-day break which began on May 1, with more than 900 tour groups bringing in close to 33,000 visitors. Among those that came on the tour groups, two-thirds stayed overnight, with most staying for just one night, Yeung told a radio programme. The remaining one-third opted for day trips. 'This was a very pleasant surprise because our estimated figures were quite a bit lower than the actual outcome,' she said. Yeung attributed the rise to several factors, including the fact that the Labour Day break was the first golden week since the new Kai Tak Sports Park was completed, and also since the city's panda cubs went on display to the public. Advertisement She also noted that the last day of the holiday coincided with the Buddha's Birthday, which allowed visitors to witness the Cheung Chau Bun Festival. 'I think there's also the fact that the weather was very good during the golden week this year, so I think we were quite lucky,' she said.
RTHK
28-04-2025
- Business
- RTHK
More mainland tourists expected for May 1 Golden Week
More mainland tourists expected for May 1 Golden Week The Travel Industry Council says about 600 mainland inbound tour groups are expected during the Labour Day Golden Week. File photo: RTHK The Travel Industry Council on Monday said Hong Kong can expect to see some 800,000 mainland visitors during the Labour Day Golden Week. The estimated number is a five percent increase for the five-day holiday starting from May 1, when compared with the same period last year. The council noted that it will also be the first Labour Day Golden Week after the opening of the Kai Tak Sports Park and the introduction of Ocean Park's giant panda twins. About 600 mainland inbound tour groups are also expected to visit the SAR during the week, up from the 570 groups recorded last year. The Tourism Board earlier announced that it will stage a drone show on the evening of May 1 at the Wan Chai Temporary Promenade. Meanwhile, Xinhua news agency reported the National Immigration Administration is expecting to see an average of 2.15 million daily border crossings during the five-day holiday, a more than 25 percent increase from last year.
South China Morning Post
28-03-2025
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong travel agencies consider cancelling Thailand tours in wake of earthquake
Some travel agencies in Hong Kong have considered cancelling tours to Thailand in the coming weeks after its capital was rocked by a 7.7 magnitude earthquake in neighbouring Myanmar, while at least two Bangkok-bound flights operated by Cathay Pacific were diverted back to the departing locations. Advertisement The Travel Industry Council, a federation of local trade associations, said there were about six Hong Kong tour groups, involving fewer than 100 people, travelling in Thailand during the quake on Friday, all of whom have been reported safe. 'All of them are safe,' said the council's executive director Fanny Yeung Shuk-fan. 'We have not received any request for assistance from tour groups or travellers. We have not received any reports about tourists getting injured or trapped.' Worldwide Package Travel Service, or WWPKG, however was considering cancelling all tours to Bangkok in April. It has no tour group in Thailand at the moment. Yuen Chun-ning, WWPKG's chief executive officer, said: 'We will have some tours to Bangkok during the Easter holidays. We will be keeping an eye on the situation there. If the attractions or tourist destinations suffer damages so that they are not suitable for tourists to go, we may consider cancelling the tours.' Advertisement The strong earthquake hit central Myanmar around midday on Friday. Tremors were also felt through northern Thailand and down to the capital Bangkok, where residents ran into the streets as buildings shook.
South China Morning Post
10-03-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
What can Hong Kong do as Singapore secures Lady Gaga for latest superstar gigs?
The economic benefits of hosting shows by US pop star Lady Gaga would have to be weighed against the requirements for securing an exclusive Asian stop, observers in Hong Kong said on Monday after rival Singapore signed up the singer for four dates in May following Taylor Swift's concerts last year. Advertisement The opening earlier this month of Kai Tak Sports Park , with its main 50,000-seat stadium, could give the city more leverage in the future to secure high-profile, global events for fresh growth in tourism and spending, they said. 'How much would you have to offer for the benefits in return? The government would have to calculate. We don't have the data on hand,' Travel Industry Council (TIC) chairman Tommy Tam Kwong-shun said. Lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon said the deal would have involved very complicated commercial negotiations and was not as straightforward as extending and accepting an invitation. Taylor Swift put on six shows in Singapore last year Photo: Reuters 'In order to secure an Asia monopoly, they might have had to offer a lot, which is something we do not know, and what they announce will not be all of their details because they will have commercial secrets,' Kong said.
