Dragon boats a top draw, but visitor numbers down, says Hong Kong official

Hong Kong should host more "mega events" like the three-day Dragon Boat Carnival to bring tourists to the city amid stiff regional competition, Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Greg So Kam-leung said yesterday.

Although the event attracted 40,000 tourists, So revealed the fall in the number of mainlanders under the individual visit scheme had widened since April, when mainland authorities limited Shenzhen residents to one cross-border trip a week.

Speaking on the sidelines of the carnival, So said the latest figures show that mainland individual travellers fell 10 per cent in the first 28 days last month, after dipping by 5 per cent in May.

INFOGRAPHIC: How dragon boating evolved from an ancient Chinese tradition into a global sport

"The one-visit-per-week measure has only been implemented for three months and most of the individual travellers are still using the old multiple-entry permits," So said. "The overall effectiveness of the measure remains to be seen."

So also said that competition from neighbouring countries, relaxed visa requirements and changes in currencies were also affecting tourists' travel patterns. Overall arrivals in June declined by almost 2 per cent.

An unconventional tug-of-war competition on the water was among a number of carnival highlights on the Tsim Sha Tsui side of the harbour.

On a sweltering day that prompted the Observatory to issue a "very hot" weather warning, six teams tested their mettle.