The individual visit scheme for mainland tourists should be scaled down because of its negative impact on the city, according to half the Hongkongers surveyed in a poll released on Friday.
Chinese University researchers found that 51.2 per cent of the 755 people polled said the travel programme should be cut back. A large minority of respondents – 38.1 per cent – said it should remain unchanged while only 6.5 per cent supported enlarging it.
The survey results showed Hongkongers had conflicting views of the scheme – recognising that it had brought them economic benefits along with adverse impacts since its introduction in 2003, researchers said.
The solo travel scheme lets mainland tourists visit the city individually instead of in groups.
The survey was conducted by the university’s Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies between last Friday and Tuesday.
While 60.3 per cent of respondents agreed that the scheme had expanded business for Hong Kong, 62.8 per cent said the influx of mainland tourists had made the city less safe.