City Beat | Mainland shoppers - welcome overseas but not in Hong Kong
Overseas, they are welcome. Here, locals have had enough - but violent protests won't help
There have been chaotic scenes in the New Territories in the lead-up to the Lunar New Year, with locals angrily protesting over the flood of mainland shoppers and parallel-goods traders.
Yet elsewhere, mainland dollars are welcome. In London, Regent Street - home to many big-name fashion and lifestyle brands - has just launched a Chinese website to "meet the needs of the growing number of Chinese visitors". Its statement goes on to say: "Chinese visitors have increased by 15 per cent year on year and they are predicted to triple over the next five years, making China the fastest growing market."
Its website is even linked to WeChat and Weibo so that Chinese shoppers can get updates and promotions.
The welcome mat has been aggressively rolled out as Regent Street tries to take on the Champs Elysees in Paris and Fifth Avenue in New York - and many other destinations all vying for a share of middle-class China's new spending power.
So while the rest of the world makes it easier for mainland Chinese tourists to part with their cash, Hongkongers are growing increasingly hostile towards these visitors.
The difference is their shopping lists. When they go on overseas jaunts, many mainland Chinese make a beeline for the big names and designer goods. But in Hong Kong, many mainlanders cross the border to stock up on daily essentials - mainly in the New Territories - either because they don't trust the products on the mainland, or they are simply cheaper here.