Hong Kong tourism sector fears the worst during next week’s mainland Chinese holiday
Travel Industry Council executive director thinks the number of Chinese tour groups visiting the city could halve to 150; retailers are also pessimistic
The city’s traditional mainland holiday shopping season could hit a new low next week amid recent tourism woes, including a drop in retail sales.
Travel Industry Council executive director Joseph Tung Yao-chung said the number of mainland tour groups visiting Hong Kong was likely to decline from last year’s 300 to about 150 during next week’s three-day holiday on the mainland starting on Saturday, April 30 – Monday, May 2. Hong Kong also has one day off on the coming Monday.
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Retailers and an analyst are pessimistic about retail sales on the back of relaxed visa rules for mainland people for other destinations such as Japan and South Korea.
“We will be very happy if 200 tours turn up,” said Tung, who based his forecast on information obtained from travel agencies.
Tung said the peak tourism season had brought fewer high- quality overnight visitors to the city as a result of shorter mainland holidays and new travel choices.
“Hong Kong is still an attractive location for people who live in the Pearl River Delta,” he said, conceding that many would not stay overnight which meant less consumption in the city.
CLSA retail analyst Mariana Kou said “the seasonal effect” mainland holidays brought to Hong Kong retail sales had waned sharply in recent years.
