'Labour Day tourist figures as expected'

The executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, Timothy Chui, on Thursday said tourist figures for the first day of the mainland's Golden Week holiday were in line with expectations. The Immigration Department said arrivals in the SAR exceeded 460,000 on May 1, including around 180,000 from the mainland. Some tourists complained on social media platforms like Xiaohongshu that bad weather marred a fireworks show over Victoria Harbour on Wednesday evening. Chui told an RTHK programme that he thinks the visitor numbers would have been even higher if the weather had been better. "Indeed, some people joked that they didn't just see the fireworks but smoke as well. I believe this is to do with the weather. But I think visitors who came to Hong Kong were generally satisfied. It's very common to say a few words on social media platforms," he said. Echoing his views, wholesale and retail sector lawmaker Peter Shiu said items such as jewellery and cosmetics were popular among tourists on May 1. Shiu added that he hopes the government will continue to improve publicity for mega events and support airlines to beef up their flight capacity.