The interdepartmental working group on festival arrangements today said that the overall number of visitors to Hong Kong reached around 1.4 million for the Chinese New Year Golden Week of the Mainland from January 28 to yesterday, with various arrangements for receiving visitors rolling out smoothly.

During the eight-day Golden Week, the Immigration Department recorded around 1.4 million inbound visitors to Hong Kong through sea, land and air control points, with Mainland visitors accounting for about 1.2 million. The daily average of Mainland visitors was around 150,000.

Visitor arrivals peaked at around 190,000 on January 30, the second day of the Lunar New Year. The Express Rail Link West Kowloon Control Point received the highest number, followed by the Lok Ma Chau Spur Line Control Point.

They visited different parts of Hong Kong during Golden Week, with high visitor flow seen at major tourist attractions, including the West Kowloon Cultural District, Ocean Park, Hong Kong Disneyland, the Peak Tram and Ngong Ping 360.

The hotel occupancy rate during this period generally reached 90%, according to industry information.

While the Travel Industry Authority revealed that over 2,200 Mainland inbound tour groups came to the city during Golden Week, with around 83% engaging in overnight itineraries. These tour groups covered around 79,000 visitors, accounting for about 7% of all Mainland visitors.

Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki, who leads the interdepartmental working group, noted that the wide range of celebration events held in Hong Kong during this period were well received by the public and visitors alike.

The events included the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade, the fireworks display, the Chinese New Year Raceday and the Chinese New Year Cup football match, taking place on the first four days of the Lunar New Year respectively.

"Thanks to the collaboration of relevant government departments, organisations and the trade as well as the co-operation of the public and tourists, the reception arrangements operated smoothly this year, enabling citizens and tourists to celebrate the Chinese New Year in Hong Kong in a joyous and festive manner," Mr Chan added.