By Cannix Yau

Copyright scmp

Hong Kong has started its National Day celebrations with an upbeat message from President Xi Jinping, two visiting PLA warships thrilling onlookers in Victoria Harbour and the restaurant sector betting on a business bump of up to 20 per cent during the extra-long “golden week” holiday.
In a speech in Beijing on Tuesday to celebrate the 76th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Xi called on the nation to keep on working hard and to forge ahead with determination in advancing the country’s modernisation.
Touching on Hong Kong, the president said Beijing would stick with the “one country, two systems” governing principle for the city and support its further integration into the nation to better develop the economy and improve people’s livelihoods.

Earlier in the day, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said Hong Kong could welcome as many as 1.54 million mainland Chinese visitors over the eight-day holiday, an increase of 11 per cent over last year, with around 1,200 tour groups arriving in the city.
The anticipated uptick could help the city’s tourism numbers return to peak levels last seen in 2018, when 1.52 million visited.
The golden week break lasts longer than usual this year. Coinciding with both National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival, it runs from October 1 to 8.
Lee said the government had deployed additional manpower and put in place measures for the citywide celebrations. These included strengthening transport services, from cross-boundary coaches and franchised buses to the MTR, while enhancing crowd control and information dissemination.
He said the Hong Kong Tourism Board would also provide waiting times at popular tourist attractions – including Hong Kong Disneyland, Ocean Park, the Peak Tram, the Ngong Ping 360 cable car and the East Dam of the High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung – allowing residents and visitors to plan their itineraries according to the latest conditions.
As part of the October 1 celebrations, People’s Liberation Army (PLA) training vessel Qi Jiguang and amphibious landing ship Yimeng Shan arrived in Hong Kong at 8am. They were escorted by marine police vessels and the PLA Hong Kong garrison’s guided-missile frigate Suqian.
The ships will be open to the public at the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base on Wednesday and Thursday before leaving on Friday. A total of 11,000 tickets for their visit were snapped up.

Liu Dan, a 35-year-old tourist working in advertising and media, arrived at the Central Piers around 8.40am with his wife, their five-year-old daughter and his sister.
“It is such a surprise. We first saw three helicopters carrying China and Hong Kong flags, then saw the navy vessels coming to the harbour,” Liu said.
Michael Leung Chun-wah, chairman of the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, forecast that business would jump 20 per cent during the holiday period from last year as about 4,000 restaurants – the highest number in three years – had joined a campaign to offer a 30 per cent discount for dine-in customers.
“This year’s golden week is special as it lasts for eight days instead of seven while it also overlaps the Mid-Autumn Festival, so the celebrations are double,” he said.
“A large number of outlets have heeded our call to offer attractive discounts to patrons. Buoyed by the four-day port call of the PLA ships, we expect a very vibrant atmosphere in the city with outlets enjoying a 10 per cent to 20 per cent increase in business.”
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, agreed that spending sentiment had received a great boost with the government and various sectors rolling out a raft of events, such as a fireworks display and celebratory offers.
“I expect the catering sector can register business growth of over 10 per cent with the average daily income reaching HK$300 million this golden week, boosted by the opening of Kai Tak Sports Park and extra events in the city,” he said.
“Restaurant bookings are also very satisfactory with Chinese outlets enjoying reservations of 80 per cent to 90 per cent.”
But he warned that a considerable number of Hongkongers might seize the opportunity to travel overseas, which would also affect restaurants and retailers. National Day is a public holiday in Hong Kong, as is the day after the Mid-Autumn Festival. The festival falls on October 6 this year.

Economist Simon Lee Siu-po of the Shenzhen Finance Institute at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said he held a conservative view of the business outlook despite the projected 11 per cent increase in mainland tourist numbers.
“There is no doubt that a greater number of mainlanders will come to Hong Kong, but they will keep their spending in check amid a weaker economy in mainland China. The overall growth in tourism revenue will be very moderate,” Lee said.
“Most of them will only spend money on food or sightseeing. The retail sector will not benefit much either, as many of them are used to online shopping.”
Lee advised the government to charge visitors at popular attractions such as the East Dam as a way to increase revenue and control the flow of people.
There will be a wide range of events and offerings to entice patrons and stimulate spending over golden week, such as the National Day fireworks and the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance for the Mid-Autumn Festival, as well as discounts and perks covering public transport, museums, dining and shopping.
Hong Kong attracted 23.6 million visitors in the first half of 2025, a 77.2 per cent recovery rate compared with the same period in 2018.