If you live in Hong Kong, then you have almost certainly wondered just how it is that mainland visitors to the city are able to spend so freely.
Sure, some tourists have been bullied into their purchases by commission-hungry guides. No doubt some have even been locked into shops or out of their hotel rooms until they agree to open their wallets.
But many more need no encouragement to load up on expensive jewellery, designer handbags and pricey electronic gizmos, splashing out as if their money was going out of style.
According to data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board, last year the average visitor from the mainland spent HK$6,600 during their trip.
When you consider that according to official figures that sum is more than a third of average annual urban income on the mainland, the amount visitors spend here is remarkable.
And when you consider they are spending all that money while they are busy buying apartments that cost 10 times the average family's income and cars that cost more than a year's wages even for the most highly paid workers, at the same time as they are supposed to be saving a quarter of their income, then their spending is doubly remarkable.
