{
  "id": 11138879,
  "title": "Hong Kong’s National Day perks draw locals outside, pleasant surprise for tourists",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/hong-kongs-national-day-perks-draw-locals-outside-pleasant-surprise",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-01T07:55:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "South China Morning Post",
    "slug": "south-china-morning-post",
    "url": "https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3369443/hong-kongs-national-day-perks-draw-locals-outside-pleasant-surprise-tourists"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hongkongers took full advantage of the National Day perks, with businesses offering discounts and free rides to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the People's Republic of China. Restaurants saw a surge in customers, with Tai Hing's Tsim Sha Tsui branch nearly full due to a 30% discount on dine-in bills. Resident Wong, who usually avoids the area, ordered an expensive set at HK$60, calling the discount a \"bargain.\" Even tourists were surprised by the offers, with Shanghai visitor Jennifer Dong pleasantly surprised to get 30% off her bill. The MTR Corporation also joined in, giving away 77,000 electronic single-journey rides in a lucky draw. Though some tourists were unaware of the discounts, many still welcomed the reduced prices. Free travel was also offered on all passenger tram routes and several ferry routes.",
  "summary": "Hongkongers have come out in droves to take advantage of widespread restaurant and transport perks on National Day, while visitors have said the offers are a happy surprise. Businesses rolled out bargains and freebies to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, which falls on October 1, ranging from restaurant discounts to free MTR rides. Residents were…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Hong Kong Free Press",
        "title": "Hong Kong rolls out free transport, half-price cinema tickets and discounts for National Day",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/hong-kong-rolls-out-free-transport-half-price-cinema-tickets-and",
        "published": "2026-09-30T23:55:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "South China Morning Post",
        "title": "Australian man arrested in Hong Kong for allegedly carrying imitation gun",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/01/australian-man-arrested-in-hong-kong-for-allegedly-carrying-imitation",
        "published": "2026-10-01T04:54:40.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}