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.

Later at 2pm, hundreds of students visited the Ngong Shuen Chau Barrack to board the two vessels for a tour, along with Secretary for Education Christine Choi Yuk-lin.

“I think this is a very precious opportunity for students, as they can talk face-to-face with navy officers and trainees,” Choi said.

During the guided tour, navy officers introduced the vessels to the students and gave a demonstration of flag semaphore and knot-tying commonly used by the navy.

Evelynn Wong, a Form Two student at Cheung Chuk Shan College, said knot-tying has been among her biggest takeaways.

“It is quite useful in life as it could tie things very tightly,” she said.

She added that she was also impressed by the machine guns equipped on the vessels.

“Everything is very cool. I have the same feeling as when I saw the military parade on September 3,” she said, referring to the recent event held in Beijing to commemorate the anniversary of China’s victory over Japan in the second world war.

A Form Four student from Tin Shui Wai Government Secondary School, who gave her surname as Chung, said she was excited about the trip.

“I was excited when I saw such big military vessels while the bus drove into the barracks,” she said.

She added that the trip compensated for her missed opportunity to board the Shandong aircraft carrier, which held a similar open house activity in Hong Kong in July.

Earlier in the day, dozens of tourists and residents were seen gathering on both sides of Victoria Harbour to welcome the two vessels.

The Government Flying Service also conducted a formation fly-past above the harbour at 9am, carrying national and city flags to celebrate National Day.

Victor Wu, a 30-year-old military hardware enthusiast from Zhuhai, was among dozens of people waiting to catch a glimpse of the two PLA ships at Tsim Sha Tsui’s waterfront.

“I am very happy and I am very emotional, the ships are especially big, they are much larger than I had imagined,” he said. “It is worth it for me to wake up at 4am.”

Wu, who had been waiting at the waterfront since 7.30am, earlier said he hoped to see the Qi Jiguang, as he had never seen it before.

Gan Hanyun, a 50-year-old military enthusiast from Shenzhen, said he had travelled from his home city to Hong Kong at 6am to photograph the vessels.

He said there had been no opportunity to see both vessels up close on the mainland and hoped to see China’s latest aircraft carrier in the city.

Liu Dan, a 35-year-old tourist working in advertising and media, arrived at the Central Piers around 8.40am with his wife, their 5-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 vessel coming to the harbour,” said Liu, who did not expect to see the aircraft and vessels.

“It is my first time coming to Hong Kong and seeing the navy vessel. I feel so excited and have taken many pictures.”

A Taiwanese tourist surnamed Chen, who arrived at the Central waterfront at around 8am, said he had brought a bag of cameras and lenses to get various shots of the vessels.

Chen said he had been travelling around photographing military equipment for 10 years.

“The last time the Shandong aircraft carrier came from the other side of the island. This time the vessels came through Victoria Harbour so I could take pictures of them with the backdrop of the buildings in Tsim Sha Tsui,” he said.

Ferry routes serving the outlying islands and Victoria Harbour were suspended or adjusted in the morning, while bus services were ramped up to help affected passengers.

The Qi Jiguang and the Yimeng Shan will be open to the public at the Ngong Shuen Chau Naval Base on Wednesday and Thursday as part of the October 1 National Day celebrations. They will leave the city on Friday.

The 11,000 tickets up for grabs to board the vessels were all booked within minutes of their release. Ticket holders can visit the vessels from 8am to 4.30pm on Wednesday and Thursday.

The visit by the Qi Jiguang and the Yimeng Shan comes just three months after the Shandong aircraft carrier strike group docked in the city in July.

The Qi Jiguang, hull number 83, is named after a Ming dynasty national hero and was officially commissioned in February 2017. The Type 680 training vessel is equipped with computer-aided training facilities, including a ship-handling simulator, large classrooms and a gymnasium.

The Yimeng Shan, hull number 988, is a Type 071A amphibious assault ship. Commissioned in February 2016, it possesses vertical landing capabilities, carries four landing craft and can transport nearly 50 armoured vehicles.