Hong Kong welcomed nearly 660,000 mainland visitors over the New Year countdown and the following three-day holiday in China, a 72 per cent increase from the same period a year ago. Sector representatives said the surge boosted hotel businesses but brought limited benefits for retailers. Data released by the Immigration Department on Sunday showed 659,090…
Twice as many mainland Chinese visitors arrived in Hong Kong on New Year’s Day compared with the same day in 2025, with one lawmaker attributing the surge to a three-day holiday across the border this year. Alan Chan Chung-yee, a legislator and chief operating officer of Miramar Group, also said on Friday that deteriorating relations…
Emergency services at Hong Kong’s public hospitals have operated smoothly on the first day of the new year despite raising fees for non-urgent cases, but some patients from minority groups said they were unaware of the changes. Starting on Thursday, New Year’s Day of 2026, patients visiting accident and emergency rooms at Hong Kong public…
Hong Kong received 10 per cent more visitors during the Christmas period compared with last year, while Hongkongers made almost 1.7 million outbound trips, up 22 per cent over the same period, according to official statistics. However, the retail sector warned that the absence of New Year fireworks could affect the number of visitors in…
Hong Kong’s food and beverage sector recorded a 10 per cent year on year drop in business over the Christmas period, an industry leader said, as 1.2 million trips were made through the city’s borders on the first day of the long holiday. But the city’s hospitality sector appeared to fare better, with one hotel…
Retired Hong Kong civil servant Ng Kook-yiu takes a shuttle bus every day from his transitional housing flat to the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. “I long to see my home, where I spent four decades of my life. It breaks my heart to see it each time, but it is still my…
Australian soft rock duo Air Supply will headline Hong Kong’s New Year countdown after the fireworks show was cancelled, with authorities expecting more than 11 million travellers to cross the city’s borders during the festive period. The government also said on Tuesday that they were in discussions with the Shenzhen government to extend border crossing…
Hong Kong bars are getting into the Christmas spirit. From the world’s best hotels to the intimate glow of neighbourhood speakeasies, this season’s cocktail menus are brimming with creative concoctions that blend tradition with distinctive flavours. Whether you are craving a classic with a twist or a completely new holiday creation, here are the stand-out…
Hong Kong will cancel its New Year’s Eve fireworks display at Victoria Harbour following the deadly inferno in Tai Po last month. The Hong Kong Tourism Board on Wednesday said that its New Year countdown would instead be held at the Chater Road pedestrian zone in Central. “Through this event, the [board] hopes to convey…
A man from southern China who donated 140 yuan (US$20) as a child to help build an aircraft carrier has seen his dream of the country becoming a stronger nation come true. To top his wish, in November, the China State Shipbuilding Corporation invited him to visit the carrier fleet and gave him a commemorative…