Turnover is already up at least 30 to 40 percent over the past two weekends, according Anthea Cheung, Lan Kwai Fong Association director. She credited this growth to the Tourism Board’s inaugural Hong Kong Halloween Month, which generated significant festive buzz ahead of this weekend’s finale and attracted higher-than-expected interest.
Cheung said locals still made up around 70 percent of visitors to the district around which Halloween celebrations traditionally centre, with the rest coming from overseas and the mainland.
The number of arrivals from the Greater Bay Area have spiked with cross-boundary travel made easier, she added, with many of them dressing up for a night out.
Bars and restaurants, she pointed out, have kept some seats in reserve for walk-in customers since bookings for tables are already full.
“We expect about a 50 percent increase tonight – it’s Halloween proper, and it’s a weekend too,” Cheung said.
“Our merchants are ready, they’ve stocked enough drinks and food for tonight’s celebrations.”
Looking ahead, the association wants more hotel, dining and transport package deals to draw visitors into staying longer and spending more.
As Lan Kwai Fong gears up to cope with crowds of revellers, immigration officers inspected Huanggang Port and Shenzhen Bay Control Point ahead of an expected late-night outbound peak on Saturday and Sunday by mainlanders here for Halloween night.
The Immigration Department urged travellers seeking a quicker crossing to avoid peak hours where possible, adding that it is coordinating with public transport operators to step up their service frequency.
