460,000 mainland Chinese visitors arrive in Hong Kong over holiday weekend – but 1 million residents head elsewhere
- Restaurant sector leader says total revenue over first three days of ‘golden week’ National Day holiday was HK$1.2 billion, a 50 per cent increase over last year
- Economists and industry experts say challenges remain in attracting visitors, including regional competition, fewer flights and strong Hong Kong dollar
Nearly half a million mainland Chinese visitors arrived in Hong Kong over the long weekend break but double the number of residents headed elsewhere, as restaurants reported a boost in business helped mostly by more locals eating out.
Economists and industry experts on Monday said challenges remained in attracting visitors, including mainland tourists being price-conscious, while regional competition, fewer flights and a strong Hong Kong dollar were also hurdles.
Immigration Department statistics showed 459,449 people from the mainland visited the city from Friday to Sunday, accounting for 87 per cent of total arrivals over the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day long weekend. The daily peak was 177,770 on Sunday.
However, 989,071 residents departed Hong Kong over the three days. Of those, 87 per cent entered the mainland via land checkpoints.
Taking into account returning residents and departing tourists, the city recorded a net outflow of 482,652 people over the long weekend. More than 1.19 million people arrived in the city while 1.39 million left.