Mainland Chinese visitor spending to exceed HK$2 billion in Hong Kong during Labour Day ‘golden week’ break, tourism chief says Spending by mainland Chinese visitors is expected to exceed HK$2 billion (US$256 million) in Hong Kong during the Labour Day “golden week” break as arrival numbers fall in line with original estimates despite the recent stormy weather, the tourism chief has said. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said on Sunday about 670,000 mainlanders crossed into the city between Wednesday and Saturday last week, the first four days of the break running from May 1 to 5 on the mainland. The figure was 19 per cent more than the 560,948 trips recorded in the first four days of the corresponding golden week last year. He said the final figure could exceed 700,000, as more tourists might come on Sunday as the weather improved. Yeung added the government had originally estimated 800,000 mainland travellers would spend HK$2.3 billion. He said about 560 mainland tour groups would come to Hong Kong over the break, noting they only accounted for a small portion of the total number of visitors from across the border. The figure was down by 17 per cent from the Travel Industry Authority’s initial estimate of 680. Last year, 453 travel groups visited Hong Kong during the Labour Day golden week break. Immigration figures showed mainlanders made 113,797 inbound trips to the city on Saturday, part of the group’s 669,117 arrivals between May 1 and 4. One of the major initiatives to welcome the visitors, a fireworks display in Victoria Harbour on Wednesday, earlier drew criticism from some internet users. The Tourism Board, which organised the HK$1 million show, confirmed in the afternoon on that day that the fireworks display would go ahead after warnings from the government that poor weather might force it to be cancelled. Some tourists still expressed dissatisfaction on mainland social media platform Xiaohongshu, saying they could only see thick clouds of smoke. He said the display faced a lot of difficulties as the weather was hard to predict and the government had to consider a number of factors, noting he understood that the public had hoped the arrangement could have been finalised as soon as possible. The city will host monthly pyrotechnics and drone shows as part of initiatives to lure and entertain visitors. Yeung said the government would learn lessons from the recent performance, including for the drone show taking place on the coming Saturday. Noting that some catering and retail operators had complained about lower-than-expected business during the break, Yeung said the situation varied depending on the district, as some mainlanders opted for “in-depth” tours in Hong Kong while others continued to visit traditional tourist spots. But he emphasised the estimate of more than HK$2 billion being spent by mainland tourists was still a “good thing” to the city. The government and tourism authorities had also stepped up efforts to lure visitors to different parts of the city, with some tour groups adopting itineraries based on themes such as history and art, the minister said. He added the administration would continue to organise mega events, while exploring ways to drive consumption by offering more dining options at the host venues and collaborating with hotels and tourism facilities. According to statistics published by the Tourism Board last year, mainland tourists coming to Hong Kong for a day trip spent HK$1,400 per person on average, while spending by visitors staying overnight was HK$6,500. In 2018, a day-trip mainland tourist spent HK$2,400, while the figure for an overnight visitor was HK$7,000. Chung Pok-man, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Department Stores and Commercial Staff General Union, said the heavy rainfall had affected the business of pharmacies and retailers. The duty-free allowance of 5,000 yuan (US$694) for mainland tourists was the major obstacle facing the industry, he said, calling for the limit to be relaxed. Chung said travellers worried about paying taxes for their purchases and so refrained from spending too much. They had less incentive to shop in Hong Kong given the popularity of online marketplace on the mainland, he added. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3261467/mainland-chinese-visitor-spending-exceed-hk2-billion-hong-kong-during-labour-day-golden-week-break (ICE HONG KONG)

Fonte notizia: South China Morning Post