'HK ready to welcome 600,000 Golden Week tourists'
The Travel Industry Council on Saturday said Hong Kong is well-prepared for some 600,000 mainland tourists expected to visit the SAR during the five-day Labour Day holiday. Gianna Hsu, who chairs the council, also said the sector has expectations for the first "Golden Week" after Covid restrictions were scrapped.  She told an RTHK programme that less than 70 mainland tour groups are travelling to Hong Kong on Saturday, fewer than that of pre-pandemic days.  “We looked back at the records from before the pandemic, and [the tour group number] was around 150 to 200,” she said. “This is normal, after the reopening of the borders, up until now we haven't completely returned to pre-pandemic levels. This number falls within our expectations,” she added. Hsu said authorities are bracing for the influx of tourists and have conducted two inter-departmental meetings. “We believe that authorities should have everything under control, whether it's border control or transportation, to ensure that travellers can return to the city or other places as quickly as possible,” she said. The recent return of visitors from across the border has prompted complaints of overcrowding and nuisance in parts of the city.  But Hsu said, for example, cruise ship lunches and Sha Tau Kok farmhouse visits, have proven to be effective in alleviating the situation.  Hsu added she hopes people could be understanding and accepting towards tourists exploring Hong Kong.