National Day Golden Week Begins with Surge of Mainland Tourists, Concert-Goers Face Premium Hotel Rates
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago3 MIN
Summary
As Hong Kong celebrated National Day on October 1, 2026, mainland Chinese tourists descended upon the city for the annual Golden Week holiday. Many visitors deliberately timed their arrivals to avoid peak crowds, while others braved the busy period to attend special events. Meanwhile, a power failure in Ho Man Tin disrupted electricity for approximately 1,000 customers late on September 30, though affected residents and tourists remained understanding about the incident.
Key Points
- Mainland tourists from various provinces arrived at West Kowloon High Speed Rail Terminus on September 30, a day before the official Golden Week holiday began, to avoid peak crowds at Victoria Harbour fireworks
- Ms. Wang from Guizhou plans to watch the National Day fireworks at Victoria Harbour, intending to secure a viewing spot by afternoon despite anticipating large crowds
- A university student from Guangzhou named Ms. Li traveled specifically to attend a concert by Japanese rock band TOGENASHI TOGEARI featuring anime《GIRLS BAND CRY》at AsiaWorld-Expo on October 2
- Hotel prices in Hong Kong doubled during National Day, with Ms. Li noting her room increased from over 500 yuan to over 1,000 yuan per night, yet she deemed the stay worthwhile for the concert
- A power outage struck near Waterloo Road in Ho Man Tin at approximately 11:18 PM on September 30, affecting about 1,000 customers including guests at Hong Kong Kowloon Metropark Hotel at 75 Waterloo Road
- The hotel's backup power system could only sustain one elevator and the ground-floor lobby, leaving guest rooms without air conditioning during the disruption
- Mr. Sun from Guangzhou, a guest at the affected hotel, expressed sympathy for the situation, stating "It's not the hotel's problem"
- CLP Power confirmed the equipment fault and deployed multiple mobile generators while providing emergency lighting and mobile batteries to affected residential buildings and care homes
Why It Matters
Hong Kong's tourism industry continues to rely heavily on mainland visitors during peak holiday periods like National Day Golden Week, with the city witnessing both the economic benefits of increased arrivals and the operational challenges that accompany sudden surges in visitor numbers. The Ho Man Tin power outage, while inconvenient, highlighted the importance of infrastructure resilience in a densely populated urban area, as authorities worked to restore power swiftly during a major holiday when hotel occupancy rates are at their highest .
Hong Kong's tourism industry continues to rely heavily on mainland visitors during peak holiday periods like National Day Golden Week, with the city witnessing both the economic benefits of increased arrivals and the operational challenges that accompany sudden surges in visitor numbers. The Ho Man Tin power outage, while inconvenient, highlighted the importance of infrastructure resilience in a densely populated urban area, as authorities worked to restore power swiftly during a major holiday when hotel occupancy rates are at their highest .