Hong Kong 2019 public holidays leave opportunities for savvy planners
A midweek Lunar Year presents one of the best opportunities for a lengthy break with the help of some well-placed annual leave requests
Taking two days off near the Lunar New Year in 2019 will grant you a nine-day holiday – so long as you can race past your colleagues to make the request.
According to the Hong Kong government’s announcement on Friday, workers will enjoy 17 public holidays next year – the same as this year – along with six long weekends.
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In 2019, the Easter holidays will come after Ching Ming Festival, which was not the case this year.
Other holidays set to move their positions on the calender included Buddha’s Birthday.
“As the Birthday of the Buddha in 2019 falls on a Sunday, the day following it is designated as a public holiday,” a government spokesman said.
For those who work Monday to Friday, strategic use of annual leave can create longer holidays.
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The most economic option will happen during Lunar New Year in February, when workers can prolong the three-day holiday between February 5 to 7 to nine days off by taking leave on February 4 and 8. That would create a holiday that starts on the Saturday before Lunar New Year to February 10, a Sunday.
Ching Ming Festival, which falls on a Friday next year, will give most workers a long weekend starting April 5.
National Day on October 1 and Chung Yeung Festival on October 7 also provides a chance ripe for the taking. Workers who take three days off between October 2 to 4 will enjoy a seven-day holiday.
There is also an opportunity at the end of next year, where taking a day off on December 27 will lead to a five-day holiday between December 25 to 29.
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The Easter holidays will create a four-day long weekend with Good Friday (April 19) and Easter Monday (April 22). Other long weekends include: the day after Buddha’s Birthday (May 13), Tuen Ng Festival (June 7) and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day (July 1).
Simon Ma, the deputy general manager at Wing On Travel, said the Lunar New Year holiday next year was “ideal” for overseas holidays.
“We expect customers to be able to spend more [next year], so both long- and short-distance destinations will be popular,” Ma said.
He said long-haul destinations such as Australia and New Zealand were popular choices during the Lunar New Year, as well as Middle East locations such as Dubai.
For quicker getaways, Ma said South Korea, Japan and Taiwan were among Hongkongers’ favourites.
