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Chinese tourists
OpinionComment

Hong Kong should extend a warmer welcome to mainland visitors – or suffer a permanent decline in its tourism industry

Ken Chu says the city needs to learn why, today, more mainland Chinese prefer other destinations – and make the necessary improvements to its infrastructure, and attitude

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<p>Ken Chu says the city needs to learn why, today, more mainland Chinese prefer other destinations – and make the necessary improvements to its infrastructure, and attitude </p>
Ken Chu
Hong Kong people, whether in the hospitality industry or not, should be polite and helpful to visitors, no matter where they are from.
Hong Kong people, whether in the hospitality industry or not, should be polite and helpful to visitors, no matter where they are from.
In recent months, discussions with friends and business partners, news reports and online postings all appear to suggest a growing trend of mainland Chinese visiting Thailand, South Korea and Japan over Hong Kong and Europe, especially during the Lunar New Year holidays. Some analysts observe that mainland visitors were driven away from Hong Kong by growing hostility towards them and social unrest such as Occupy Central and the riot in Mong Kok.
Chinese tourists wait for a boat at the Chao Phraya River pier in Bangkok. The number of mainland tourists going to Thailand has surged. Photo: Reuters
Chinese tourists wait for a boat at the Chao Phraya River pier in Bangkok. The number of mainland tourists going to Thailand has surged. Photo: Reuters
The number of mainland tourists going to Thailand has skyrocketed in the past five years, from 1.72 million in 2011 to 7.93 million in 2015, a whopping 360 per cent rise. The number visiting South Korea has also risen significantly, from 2.83 million in 2011 to 6.11 million last year. Japan saw the largest increase over the same period, from 1.04 million to 4.99 million, a surge of 380 per cent.

The reasons for their popularity are abundantly clear. Seoul and Tokyo enjoy geographical advantages while Thailand is famed for the hospitality of its people and silky white sandy beaches. According to Chinese tour agencies, Thailand was the No 1 destination for mainlanders in 2015, followed by South Korea and Tokyo.

Realising tourism makes an important contribution to the economy, Thailand places a strong emphasis on tourism infrastructure and has launched campaigns to showcase how friendly Thais are towards foreign travellers. Since late 2015, the Thai government has granted 60-day visas on arrival to mainland tourists to make its country an even more attractive destination.

READ MORE: Bakugai! Japan’s new term for ‘explosive’ Chinese shoppers

A tax-free department store in Tokyo has become popular with Chinese tourists. For mainlanders, Japan is considered a shoppers’ paradise. Photo: Reuters
A tax-free department store in Tokyo has become popular with Chinese tourists. For mainlanders, Japan is considered a shoppers’ paradise. Photo: Reuters
For mainland tourists, Japan is considered a shoppers’ paradise. Seeing the huge benefits of a surge in mainland visitors fuelled by a weak yen, the Japanese government has set up duty-free shopping centres in metropolitan Tokyo.
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