Popularity of Zhuhai bridge trips highlights gap between Hong Kong and mainland tourists
Mainland visitors sign up in droves to see ‘super attraction’ from a distance while Hongkongers are indifferent to it
With the cross-border bridge linking Hong Kong with Macau and Zhuhai set to open for traffic this year, some mainland-based tour operators have stolen a march by offering packages for travellers to see the infrastructure from afar.
But there was a stark contrast on either side of the border in the popularity of the tours – given a warm welcome by those in the north and the cold shoulder in Hong Kong.
Over the last two months of 2017, Hong Kong-based China Travel Service (CTS) organised just 10 groups to join a hot springs tour which included a distant sea view of the bridge, according to Yiu Si-wing, the agency’s deputy chairman and lawmaker for the tourism sector.
But in December alone, Guangzhou-based agency Guangzhilv had 882 visitors sign up for tours that included boat trips to view the bridge. During the three-day new year public holiday, another 136 people joined the tours, according to agency spokeswoman Kuang Xindi.