Beijing suspends tour groups to protest-hit Hong Kong
Move comes amid increase in censorship as democracy protests threaten diplomatic fallout; National Day celebrations most muted since takeover
Mainland authorities have suspended visits by tour groups to Hong Kong as the city's democracy movement threatens to become an international diplomatic issue.
The China National Tourism Administration told operators not to organise tour groups to the city. People who booked before yesterday would not be affected.
"It means that there will be no more mainland tours a week from now," said Hong Kong Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung.
The chairman of the Hong Kong Inbound Tour Operators Association, Ricky Tse Kam-ting, described the move as unprecedented. Individual travellers seem to be not affected.
Mainland tourists account for 75 per cent of total visitors to Hong Kong. But most of them, around 67 per cent, come to the city as individual travellers.
Pro-democracy protests - partly triggered by Beijing's decision to set restrictions on the city's leadership election in 2017 and partly by a heavy-handed police response - have swept Hong Kong. The city had the most muted National Day celebrations yesterday since returning to China 17 years ago.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying was jeered at the flag-raising ceremony in Golden Bauhinia Square, Wan Chai. Protesters have demanded that he step down by tonight, with a student group threatening to occupy government buildings if he does not.