Interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements releases latest information on National Day Fireworks Display, major tourist spots and Mainland inbound group tours
​The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements, led by the Chief Secretary for Administration, released the following information today (October 1) on the latest situation and arrangements for the 2024 National Day Golden Week.
Due to the occurrence of ionospheric scintillation over Victoria Harbour, drones could not receive good satellite positioning signals. The drone introduction prior to the National Day Fireworks Display could not take place as scheduled tonight. The Government issued a press release at 8.52pm to inform the public about that.
The fireworks display took place over Victoria Harbour attracted over 330 000 spectators from local citizens and tourists in the areas of Wan Chai, Central, and Tsim Sha Tsui. Special traffic arrangements and crowd management measures on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon were in place having taken into account the traffic and crowd conditions. Police adopted suitable measures to facilitate the dispersal of crowds in an orderly and smooth manner, enabling members of the public and tourists to enjoy the celebrations of the National Day in a safe environment.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Tourism this morning paid an on-site inspection to major tourist spots including the Peak Tram, Ocean Park, High Speed Rail West Kowloon Station, West Kowloon Cultural District, Ngong Ping 360, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, etc. It was observed that major tourist spots are operating with high patronage and good order. Special measures of engaging additional manpower and maintaining close communication with the relevant Government departments, stakeholders of the travel trade and public transport operators, etc. have been implemented to handle additional people flow. The latest situation of the relevant major tourist spots have been linked to the designated webpage of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (www.discoverhongkong.com) for easy reference of visitors.
Regarding Mainland inbound group tours, according to the information registered by travel agents with the Travel Industry Authority (TIA), there are 167 Mainland inbound group tours arriving Hong Kong today and around 74 per cent are overnight itineraries. To ensure orderly implementation of tourism activities of group tours, the TIA has deployed additional manpower to inspect venues with more activities of inbound group tours including major inbound ports, registered shops, popular tourist spots and catering premises patronised by inbound group tours, etc.
The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements is tasked with holistically reviewing and steering the overall co-ordination efforts of various government departments to welcome visitors to Hong Kong during the National Day Golden Week, as well as strengthening information dissemination to enable the public and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest situation. The working group will continue to monitor various circumstances during the Golden Week, taking appropriate measures based on practical needs and making timely announcements.