{
  "id": 10359910,
  "title": "Holiday breaks leave tourism sector with high hopes",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/holiday-breaks-leave-tourism-sector-with-high-hopes",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-28T04:13:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTHK News",
    "slug": "rthk-news",
    "url": "https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1871827-20260928.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Tommy Tam, chairman of the Travel Industry Council, expressed optimism about the upcoming National Day Golden Week holiday on Monday, stating that hotel bookings were looking promising. He predicted more mainland tourists would visit Hong Kong this year, thanks to the close proximity of the Mid-Autumn Festival to Golden Week. This 13-day break, achieved with just three days off, has driven mainlanders' travel intentions. The tourism sector is confident in tourists' spending power, expecting benefits across various sectors such as catering, cosmetics, and electronics. Hotels are already nearly fully booked from October 1 to 3, despite price increases. Meanwhile, the Po Pin Chau trail in Sai Kung East Country Park has been running smoothly, with around half of the registered visitors failing to appear. Lawmaker Christine Fong suggested charging a deposit as a potential solution to this issue.",
  "summary": "Travel Industry Council chairman Tommy Tam on Monday said hotel bookings were looking good for the upcoming National Day Golden Week holiday and that he was optimistic about the overall spending atmosphere. Speaking on an RTHK programme, he said more mainland tourists were expected to visit Hong Kong this year. This, Tam said, was because of the proximity of the Mid-Autumn Festival to Golden Week…",
  "key_points": [
    "National Day Golden Week holiday boosts tourism sector optimism",
    "13-day break drives mainland tourists to Hong Kong",
    "Hotels near full capacity, Po Pin Chau trail sees low attendance"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The tourism sector's optimism about the National Day Golden Week holiday suggests that the prolonged break will boost visitor numbers and spending, benefiting related industries such as catering and electronics.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "RTHK English",
        "title": "Holiday breaks leaves tourism sector with high hopes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/holiday-breaks-leaves-tourism-sector-with-high-hopes",
        "published": "2026-09-28T04:13:56.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}