36 h. ago Galloping horses theme of Hong Kong’s Lunar New Year fireworks display

The coming Lunar New Year fireworks display in Hong Kong will feature the theme of galloping horses to welcome the Year of the Horse, with the Jockey Club sponsoring the event for the first time. Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said on Friday that the fireworks show, titled “Prosperity gallops across Hong Kong”, would be a part of a year-long campaign by the betting giant to celebrate the equine zodiac with a series of events from races to museum exhibitions. “For the...

Events

1 week ago Hong Kong records 72% jump in mainland Chinese tourists over long New Year break

Hong Kong welcomed nearly 660,000 mainland Chinese visitors over the New Year countdown and the subsequent three-day holiday across the border, a 72 per cent increase from the same period a year ago. Sector representatives said the surge was a boost for the hotel sector but brought limited benefits for retailers. Data released by the Immigration Department on Sunday showed 659,090 mainland visitors entered Hong Kong between New Year’s Eve and Saturday, accounting for 79 per cent of the total...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong welcomes 25% more visitors for New Year’s Eve than in 2024

The number of inbound visitors to Hong Kong on New Year’s Eve rose by 25 per cent from 2024, despite the city forgoing its traditional fireworks display in light of the deadly Tai Po fire, while departures by residents increased by nearly 21 per cent. Immigration Department figures compiled by the Post on Thursday showed Hong Kong welcomed 195,798 visitors from mainland China and overseas on December 31, a substantial rise from the 156,366 recorded on the same day in 2024. Among them, 148,435...

Politics

2 w. ago Bars, hotels cash in as Hong Kong welcomes 25% more visitors for New Year’s Eve

The number of inbound visitors to Hong Kong on New Year’s Eve rose by 25 per cent from 2024, despite the city forgoing its traditional fireworks display because of the deadly Tai Po fire, with bars and hotels appearing to benefit the most from the increase in footfall over the holiday. But with the number of departures by Hongkongers also increasing by nearly 21 per cent over the same period, not all businesses stood to gain equally. Immigration Department figures compiled by the Post on...

Politics

2 w. ago Hong Kong welcomes 6 babies into world in first hour of New Year’s Day

Three girls and three boys were born in Hong Kong’s public and private hospitals in the first hour of New Year’s Day. The CUHK Medical Centre, a private teaching hospital owned by Chinese University, delivered the city’s first baby of 2026 at 12am. The newborn is a boy and his family’s first child. Two minutes later, United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong delivered a baby girl, weighing 3.02kg (6.66lbs). Another baby, a boy, was born at Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei at 12.06am, weighing...

Politics

2 w. ago Groups welcome updated Hong Kong biodiversity plan but call for more details

Concern groups have called for a more concrete timeline and clearer details in an updated action plan for Hong Kong’s biodiversity strategy, which for the first time lists assessing the capacity of ecotourism hotspots as a priority. The government on Wednesday unveiled its updated Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, which covers four strategic areas – nature conservation, deepening mainstreaming, capacity building and collaborative partnering. It lists 30 priority actions and 81...

Politics

3 w. ago West must face the facts of Jimmy Lai’s trial and conviction

On December 15, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was found guilty on two charges of conspiring to collude with external forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials by the High Court of Hong Kong. The verdict was welcomed in the city and, as expected, prompted another round of outcries from some Western countries. As Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I feel obliged to set the record straight...

Politics