Mainland tour groups in Hong Kong for Golden Week expected to drop 30pc

The number of mainland visitors coming to Hong Kong on group tours during the National Day "golden week" holiday next month is expected to be down almost a third on last year.

The forecast came yesterday from an association of travel agents handling inbound tours, citing political tension in the city and competition from other places, including the mainland.

Hong Kong Inbound Tour Operators Association chairman Ricky Tse Kam-ting said the number of bookings so far was only half of last year's total, and assuming some last-minute bookings, he expected the total to be down 30 per cent.

"Many [mainland] tour agencies have turned their attention from Hong Kong to other Asian destinations," he said.

"There are a lot of good hotel deals in Malaysia [after two tragedies involving Malaysia Airlines planes]. The same goes for Thailand, which is rolling out bargains after political turmoil."

October 1 to 7, nicknamed the golden week, is a public holiday on the mainland and traditionally a peak travel period for mainland visitors to Hong Kong.

The China Tourism Academy predicted that 480 million people would be holidaying during the period, an increase of 13 per cent year-on-year.