Chinese tourists set to ditch Hong Kong for wider world
City's position as top travel spot under threat as mainlanders start looking at trips beyond Asia
Hong Kong may lose its position as the top choice for outbound mainland tourists within a decade as they seek broader travel experiences, a recent report by Boston Consulting Group suggests.
The city's position as mainlanders' favoured travel destination might be challenged over time as they visit more places beyond Asia and prefer to have more "leisure activities" and "cultural experiences".
Hong Kong was kicked off a list of 15 most popular travel spots in a survey of nearly 1,000 middle-class mainlanders when asked what was their dream holiday destination in five to 10 years.
The Maldives received the most votes from respondents, followed by the United States, France and Australia.
More people would like to … experience exotic cultures during their trips
"As Chinese tourists are becoming more and more sophisticated, shopping will not be the No1 reason for them to travel. More people would like to enjoy more leisure activities and experience exotic cultures during their trips," said Vincent Lui, a partner at BCG and co-author of the report.
Mainland tourists' choices are quite different from what they have been for the past few years.