Mainland Chinese tourists shun Hong Kong in favour of Macau over Christmas and New Year
- Visitors to the gambling hub surpass those to the former British colony for first time, travel agency figures show
- Six months of protests take their toll as numbers travelling to Hong Kong over the festive period more than halve
Macau welcomed more visitors from mainland China than Hong Kong over the Christmas and New Year period for the first time ever, according to travel agency figures.
Trips to the gambling hub spiked at the end of December following celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of its return to Chinese rule, the country’s biggest travel website Ctrip.com said in a report published on Thursday.
It also said that Macau’s growing popularity as a shopping destination had further helped to boost visitor numbers.
The festive atmosphere in Hong Kong, where Christmas is widely celebrated, makes it a popular destination at this time of year, but the report said six months of political turmoil had seen its appeal diminish.
Statistics from the Hong Kong Immigration Department showed that about 450,000 mainland travellers entered the city between December 21 and 26, with a further 300,000 crossing the border between December 29 and January 1.