‘Golden week’: Hong Kong draws more mainland Chinese visitors but spending uneven
Total visitor arrivals, including overseas travellers, reached 854,929 over first three days of Labour Day holiday, also slightly up from last year’s 803,612
Hong Kong recorded a 4.8 per cent increase in mainland Chinese visitors in the first three days of their Labour Day “golden week” holiday, but industry players warned that uneven spending and more flexible travel patterns could weigh on business despite hotel occupancy rates potentially reaching 90 per cent.
Immigration Department data showed mainland Chinese made 714,765 visits to the city between May 1 and 3, up by about 4.8 per cent from 682,114 in the same period last year.
Total visitor arrivals, including overseas travellers, reached 854,929 over the three days, slightly up from last year’s 803,612.
The data also showed strong outbound travel by Hong Kong residents, with more than 1 million departures recorded over the first three days of the holiday, 3.3 per cent lower year on year.
Early feedback from the catering sector suggested the increase in footfall had not translated evenly into spending, particularly at upscale restaurants.
“Overall there is growth compared with last year, but each segment is different,” Samme Cheng Pak-man, vice-chairman of the Institute of Dining Professionals, said.