Hong Kong residents and tourists take up National Day discounts and free rides
Restaurants, public transport operators and other businesses offered discounts and free journeys across Hong Kong on National Day, drawing residents and visitors to participating venues. More than 3,800 restaurants joined the promotion, while free tram and selected ferry rides and an MTR lucky draw added to the citywide campaign.
Hong Kong residents and visitors took advantage of restaurant discounts and transport promotions on Thursday as businesses marked National Day. The offers commemorated the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. They included reduced restaurant bills, free tram and selected ferry journeys, and a lucky draw for MTR rides.
Tai Hing’s branch in Tsim Sha Tsui was nearly full at 10am, with diners seeking a 30 per cent discount on dine-in bills. The offer also covered Men Wah Bing Teng and Asam Chicken Rice, which are part of Tai Hing Group. Resident Wong said he ordered the most expensive set available, costing about HK$60, because he did not usually eat there.
Another customer, Chan, said his breakfast bill fell from HK$89 to HK$62 and that he had queued for about 10 minutes. More than 3,800 restaurants took part in the promotion, most offering discounts of up to 30 per cent or deals on selected dishes. Hong Kong’s Immigration Department had forecast about 1.29 million travellers from across the border during the mainland’s National Day holiday week.
Some tourists said they had not known about the offers before arriving. Jennifer Dong, visiting from Shanghai, said she was surprised to receive a 30 per cent reduction and had spent several thousand yuan in Hong Kong over three days. MTR Corporation offered 77,000 electronic single-journey rides through a lucky draw on its MTR Mobile app.
The prizes could be used on Airport Express, cross-boundary and intercity services. Free travel was also offered on passenger tram routes and several Star Ferry and Fortune Ferry routes. Tourists at the Star Ferry pier welcomed the free rides, while trams and ferry services attracted queues.
Some residents said the promotions encouraged them to travel within the city, although one MTR winner said free rides for everyone would have been preferable.
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