Hong Kong’s government has begun an all-out mobilisation of departments to ensure the city can cope with the expected surge of mainland visitors during the National Day Golden Week (1-8 October). Speaking ahead of the weekly Executive Council meeting on 15 September, Chief Executive John Lee said a real-name online reservation system—trialled last weekend at the Po Pin Chau geo-trail—would be expanded to more hotspots to spread visitor flows and prevent overcrowding. Extra staff from the Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department will be deployed on hiking trails to guide first-time users through the new QR-code check-in process, remind them to carry out their rubbish, and keep traffic on one-way paths moving smoothly. Lee stressed that visitor experience is now directly linked to Hong Kong’s brand as an international hub. He revealed that the Travel Industry Authority has already revoked two agency licences and the accreditation of a tour guide for coercive “forced shopping” tactics—its third enforcement action this year. Investigators will make unannounced inspections of shops and coaches during the holiday, and any operator found breaching consumer-protection rules will have its licence immediately cancelled. Alongside crowd-management tools, the administration will increase real-time information on boundary-crossing waiting times, transport schedules and attraction capacity through the DiscoverHongKong website, the GovHK mobile app and electronic signboards at 14 land, sea and air checkpoints. Inter-departmental command posts will run round the clock at Lo Wu, Hong Kong West Kowloon Station and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge to coordinate Immigration, Customs, Police and Transport responses to sudden surges. Business-travel consultants say the measures should shorten clearance times for corporate visitors flying in for the busy autumn convention season. However, companies are being advised to book hotel rooms and cross-boundary cars early, as occupancy rates are projected to exceed 90 per cent during the week. Firms should also brief visiting staff on the city’s crackdown on inducement shopping to avoid itinerary disruptions. If the tactics prove successful, officials plan to make real-name booking mandatory for selected eco-tourism sites during all major holidays in 2027, creating a data-driven model for sustainable tourism management.
Source: RTHK
