Tourists from Hong Kong are less inclined than overseas visitors to pay extra to protect the environment or workers' conditions in their holiday destinations, a survey has found. But they are far more likely to loosen their purse-strings to buy local food and support charities, the University of Hong Kong's study reveals. The study found less than half of Hong Kong residents (49.7 per cent) are willing to pay more for their holiday if good wages and working conditions are guaranteed for workers in their destination country, whereas 71 per cent of overseas tourists say they would be willing to pay a surcharge. And while 68 per cent of local tourists are willing to pay more for a holiday if the money went to preserving the local environment, more than 76 per cent of overseas visitors are prepared to. But when it comes to supporting the local food industry, Hongkongers are prepared to dig deeper - 62 per cent expressed a willingness to pay more for a holiday where hotels served locally produced food, compared with 45 per cent of overseas tourists. The same spirit of generosity applies to supporting charitable organisations - 35 per cent of Hong Kong residents would be willing to pay more for their holiday if the money goes to a local charity, compared with 25 per cent of overseas visitors. Only 57 per cent of locals feel their holiday should benefit people at their holiday destination, compared with 81 per cent of overseas tourists.
