CY Leung blames anti-parallel trade protests for ‘alarming’ drop in Hong Kong tourism

Fewer mainland tourists visited Hong Kong over the Easter holiday compared to the same period last year, and some luxury-goods retailers who reported sales plunging by more than 20 per cent want the government to act to reverse the trend.

According to the Immigration Department website, 447,737 mainland tourists arrived in Hong Kong on the first four days of the Easter break, down 6.6 per cent compared to the four-day Easter holiday last year.

This came as Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said yesterday that the recent waves of protests targeting cross-border parallel-goods traders were a significant factor in the decline in tourism numbers.

He said this was despite the existence of other factors such as a strong Hong Kong dollar and economic conditions in foreign countries.

"One major factor is believed to be the so-called anti-parallel trading protests, which essentially were illegal actions against mainland [Chinese] tourists," he said. "These actions have seriously hurt Hong Kong's image and reputation as a tourist city, internationally and on the mainland."

He later called for patience in tackling parallel trading. "We will continue following up with the central government and relevant provincial and municipal authorities," Leung said during a visit to Wuhan .