‘Golden week’ tourism in Hong Kong: 1 million mainland Chinese visitors expected for National Day break, but how long will they stay?
- Strong foreign and domestic competition for tourist dollar and weak renminbi set to shorten trips of travellers from across border
- Industry members still upbeat as coming eight-day break will be the first such stretch since country lifted pandemic curbs
Hong Kong is expected to welcome about 1 million mainland Chinese visitors during the National Day “golden week” break, but experts have said travellers are planning shorter trips amid fierce regional competition for tourism and a weakened renminbi.
The holiday period for mainlanders runs from September 29 until October 6, overlapping with the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is the first such stretch since the country’s pivot from tough Covid-19 policies.
Experts on Wednesday said most of those crossing the border into the city – comprising mainly individual travellers – were expected only to stay for the weekend instead of the full eight-day span. Observers point to a weakened renminbi, making the Hong Kong dollar more expensive for visitors.
Fanny Yeung Shuk-fan, executive director of the Travel Industry Council, estimated some 1 million mainland tourists would visit the city, marking 70 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Yeung added the number included about 30,000 tour group members, with the remainder being individual travellers.
She said a peak was expected from Saturday to Monday, with visitors starting to leave from Tuesday, two days after National Day on October 1.
Yeung warned Hong Kong’s hotel sector was still grappling with a manpower crunch, especially in housekeeping services. Some hotels had recruited part-time staff or asked employees to work overtime to cope with demand, she added.
Without giving an estimate, she said an outflow of Hongkongers was also expected to peak on Friday and Saturday.
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Search data for flights on Expedia for both the weekend peak period and the entire eight-day stretch showed destinations such as Tokyo, London and Taipei were the top trending cities for Hong Kong travellers.
“We will pay close attention to the overall situation in Hong Kong due to the increase in tourists every day, and we will respond immediately,” he promised.
Tommy Tam Kwong-shun, chairman of the Society of IATA Passenger Agents, expressed disappointment that only an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 tour group members were expected to visit the city.
“It is not that encouraging, the demand is still quite low,” he said.
However, he noted the city’s recent push to drive nightlife, as well as the return of the National Day fireworks, could mean young people and couples staying one more night than planned.
Flights from the mainland were expected to be full, but most people from across the border would be travelling to the city by high-speed rail, ferry and coaches, Tam added.
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Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners executive director Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, whose members supply 89,000 rooms in the city, said occupancy rates for the popular areas of Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay were about 90 per cent over the starting weekend of the holiday stretch.
Tsui agreed there would be a peak over the first three days from Friday, with demand dipping for the remainder of that week.
He pointed to a weakened renminbi as well as increased competition with mainland cities as reasons for shorter trips to Hong Kong by visitors from across the border.
“Mainland travellers have more options,” Tsui argued, citing the lifting of pandemic curbs and a range of foreign and domestic destinations opened for visitors. He said, however, the coming golden week “still looks promising”.
Across the Dorsett Group’s nine hotels, including in Wan Chai, Mong Kok, Tsuen Wan and Yau Ma Tei, the occupancy rate was 90 per cent from Friday to Sunday, according to Yi Li Dawson, group director of brand marketing.
The figure dipped to about 80 per cent for the entire eight-day period.
“We anticipated more visitors or a longer average length of stay. However, we have found that most guests from mainland China have shortened their stay by a day or two – staying only two to three nights,” she said, adding guests were mostly from across the border and Southeast Asia.
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On Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, the mood for visiting Hong Kong during golden week was lukewarm, with popular posts and buzzwords centred on “niche” destinations, avoiding crowds and enjoying beautiful photo spots within the country.
A topic generating some excitement was the return of the National Day fireworks in Hong Kong after a five-year hiatus, with popular Xiaohongshu posts detailing “strategies” to snag the best vantage points for the pyrotechnics.
Users rolled out lists of hotels and restaurants with harbour views such as K11 Artus and Paper Moon in Tsim Sha Tsui, but free, uncommon viewing points such as Braemar Hill and the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal were also recommended.
One user even provided timing details for each portion of the fireworks show along with train timetables so visitors hoping to return to the mainland immediately after could plan accordingly.
Emphasis on cultural and affordable experiences also took the lead rather than extravagant spending, as travel gurus recommended seeing the Mid-Autumn Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, the new markets that were part of the government’s “Night Vibes” campaign and lantern shows across the city.
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About 1,750 restaurants will offer discounts of 30 per cent or specific promotions on food items on October 1.
Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said medium-priced and budget hotels with rooms costing between HK$900 (US$115) and HK$1,200 a night were “sure to be fully booked” over the opening weekend.
A search by the Post on Wednesday showed rooms were available on Hong Kong Island for HK$1,000 to HK$4,000 a night on Saturday for the Landmark Mandarin Oriental.
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Trip.com Group, China’s largest online travel agency, said outbound travel orders for mainlanders increased nearly 20 times year on year, with popular destinations being Thailand, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Flight and hotel bookings by mainland users visiting Hong Kong have surged significantly since pandemic curbs on both sides were lifted. About 84 per cent of hotel bookings in the city by mainland travellers for the golden week were for four- and five-star establishments, according to the agency.
Among the bestselling products were tours to The Peak, Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong Observation Wheel and Avenue of Stars.
