May Day visitor surge gives Hong Kong tourism boost
Tourist numbers soar by 22 per cent on first day of holiday but figures suggest many only use city as transit point and don't stay long
The gloom hanging over Hong Kong's tourism industry - fuelled by warnings over political uncertainty and a mainland economic slowdown - lifted briefly yesterday when official figures revealed a 22 per cent year-on-year rise in the number of visitors to the city on the first day of the May Day holiday.
But news of a numbers surge - including a 24 per cent year-on-year rise in the number of mainland people who arrived in the SAR compared to May 1 last year - was tempered by data which shows that people are using the city as a transit point to third countries, rather than a destination in itself.
So said a conclusion on the situation could not be made on the figures for one day, adding: "Frontline retail staff would be most familiar with the situation ... the government will continue discussions with businesses on how to boost the economy and develop tourism healthily.''
However, Travel Industry Council chairman Michael Wu Siu-ieng was more cautious. "Mainland people are more interested in venturing overseas. With a limited number of flights across the border, sometimes they take off from the Hong Kong airport," Wu said.
Among overall arrivals, mainland visitors increased by a slightly higher 24 per cent to 177,056 on Friday, while other travellers went up 14.7 per cent to 55,800, So said.
Last month, the central government announced a change in permit policy for Shenzhen permanent residents, capping the number of trips they can make to Hong Kong under the multiple-entry permit scheme at once per week.
The move worried some retailers, who said the policy adjustment would drag down visitor numbers and their sales revenue, one third of which comes from tourists.
More than 10,000 shops, restaurants and tourist attractions across the city are offering promotions and discounts in a month-long campaign launched last week. There will be another round of promotions during the summer, So added.
Travel Industry Council chief Wu said local travel agencies noticed many seats on flights to South Korea and Japan this holiday were taken up by mainland tour agencies.
There are no official statistics on transit numbers on May 1. Statistics put online by the Immigration Department showed 15,553 mainland visitors arrived in Hong Kong by air, an increase of 10 per cent from last year.
The number of them leaving the city from Chek Lap Kok airport - including those who flew overseas - jumped by a greater 22.4 per cent to 12,130.
Still, the majority of mainland visitors came to Hong Kong by land traffic. Arrivals at land border points on Friday jumped 27 per cent from last year to 151,949.
It was matched by a similar surge in departures that day, which went up by 30.8 per cent to 108,547 - an indication that a lot of tourists come and go instead of staying overnight.
