Hong Kong will welcome more than 1.4 million mainland Chinese tourists over Lunar New Year, the city leader has predicted, saying the trend of having overseas visitors will be noticeable in the Year of the Snake.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday a 23-minute fireworks display and a parade featuring international performance groups would be among a string of celebratory events set for the holiday, which will run from January 28 and February 4 on the mainland.
“[We] estimate that more than 1.4 million mainland tourists will visit Hong Kong via different borders during the eight-day holiday,” Lee said before his weekly meeting with the Executive Council, the city’s top decision-making body.
He said the estimated number of daily visitors would represent 3 and 14 per cent increases compared with the statistics recorded during the National Day and Lunar New Year holidays last year.
Lee said the fireworks display would light up Victoria Harbour on January 30, expecting it to attract more than 100,000 residents and tourists.
He added that 55 groups would take part in the parade that would be held on the first day of Lunar New Year on January 29, with artists from France, Argentina, Austria, India, Indonesia and Thailand performing for the first time.
