Hong Kong holds firework show to celebrate Labor Day

HONG KONG -- Tourists swarmed Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor on Wednesday night to enjoy a firework show at sea as one of the first highlights of this Labor Day holiday.

Starting at 8 pm local time (1200 GMT), the 10-minute display blended in with the night view of the Victoria Harbor and is accompanied by a light and music show. The gold-toned fireworks were set off from a boat 130 meters offshore.

Despite the on-and-off drizzles throughout the day, many tourists and Hong Kong residents had arrived three hours prior to the show to find the perfect viewing spot. "I anticipate the fireworks the most for my four-day Hong Kong tour this Labor Day holiday," said a tourist from Guangdong Province surnamed Lu.

Industry insiders in Hong Kong believe pyrotechnics shows can help attract tourists and boost businesses for eateries. Restaurants with sea views of the Victoria Harbor rolled out set meals to go with the show, while some pleasure boat companies sold bundled tickets for a buffet dinner and the fireworks show.

The Immigration Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government estimates that passenger arrivals and departures will total 5.9 million from Tuesday to Sunday, among which over 800,000 trips are made by tourists from the Chinese mainland. By 4 p.m. Wednesday, the region had recorded nearly 440,000 tourist arrivals, around 140,000 of which were made by Chinese mainland tourists.