HONG KONG, Mat 2 — The Lo Wu arrival corridor on Hong Kong’s border used to throng with guests throughout mainland China’s “Golden Week”, however because the five-day tourism bonanza kicked off on Wednesday, the queues there have been modest.
Mainland Chinese guests have traditionally been the lifeblood of Hong Kong’s retail and providers sectors, spending on all the pieces from primary items like child formulation to luxurious purses and upscale eating places — serving to to form town’s financial system within the course of.
But after three years of Covid isolation, and earlier than {that a} yr of typically violent pro-democracy protests — not to point out the rising enchantment of fast-developing mainland cities — Hong Kong has misplaced its shine for a lot of Chinese tourists and is a great distance from regaining its go-to standing, observers say.
Local authorities had hoped a million individuals would cross the border on May 1, the beginning of the normal “Golden Week” growth time for Hong Kong’s tourism and retail sectors, however the crowds at Lo Wu had been reasonable on Wednesday.
“Hong Kong is far more costly than earlier than,” mentioned a technician surnamed Leung, 54, who was planning to go to native theme parks along with his younger kids.
“In phrases of worth for cash, Hong Kong is just not that aggressive.”
Though Leung mentioned he was staying for 3 days, many guests passing by Lo Wu mentioned they had been making extra reasonably priced day journeys as a substitute.
Hong Kong is determined to revive its tourism sector — which at one time made up round 5 per cent of GDP — to offset the financial toll from the pandemic and political unrest in recent times.
But business insiders say Hong Kong remains to be catching up, with guests spending much less throughout China’s financial downturn and native residents preferring to trip in neighbouring Chinese cities.
“After the pandemic, individuals’s travelling mode and pursuits have modified, however we’re lagging behind when it comes to discovering and packaging distinctive native sights,” town’s tourism sector lawmaker Perry Yiu advised eNM.
The Lo Wu arrival corridor on Hong Kong’s border used to throng with guests throughout mainland China’s Golden Week, however because the five-day tourism bonanza kicked off on Wednesday, the queues there have been modest. — eNM pic
‘Not enticing’
Emerging from an almost three-year tourism drought, Hong Kong in 2023 noticed 34 million guests — a determine buoyed by China’s choice to reopen its borders after Covid.
But that quantity was nonetheless far wanting the pre-pandemic, pre-protest peak seen in 2018, when Hong Kong acquired greater than 65 million guests who collectively spent round US$35 billion.
Worse nonetheless, official figures confirmed a 73.5 per cent drop in spending amongst daytrippers from mainland China, the most important demographic of holiday makers to Hong Kong.
Xu Dengkai, an IT skilled from Shanghai, paid his first go to to Hong Kong on Wednesday, however wouldn’t keep for one more day.
“It’s not significantly enticing to me, because it appears to be like identical to Shanghai,” Xu advised eNM.
A younger mom surnamed Jiang, who was concluding a five-day journey in Hong Kong with husband and toddler in tow, mentioned she hadn’t put aside any cash for purchasing.
“I might most likely save my purchasing spree for Japan,” Jiang mentioned with fun, including that items in Hong Kong value double or triple what they’d in Chongqing, their hometown.
Jason Wong, former chair of Hong Kong’s Travel Industry Council, mentioned town “has rather a lot to do” to discover distinctive choices to appeal to guests.
“Visitors now need extra in-depth experiences, as they will store both in mainland or on-line as a substitute of counting on Hong Kong,” he advised eNM.
The metropolis’s US dollar-pegged foreign money and total excessive costs, in addition to competitors from regional rivals reminiscent of Singapore and Japan, have additionally affected vacationer sentiment, Wong mentioned.
‘Hong Kong’s good aspect’
Even amongst locals, Hong Kong’s enchantment is dimming.
Since China reopened its border in February 2023, Hong Kongers have flocked to neighbouring mainland cities reminiscent of Shenzhen and Zhuhai for weekend outings.
On a current day in late March, every day departures exceeded 760,000 — almost thrice the variety of arrivals.
Funeral providers employee Ryan, 35, has been paying weekly northbound visits to the mainland for “extra enjoyable with the identical amount of cash”, and mentioned he was removed from alone.
Cordelia Leung, a advertising skilled, mentioned she “sympathised” with Hong Kong companies, however spending two days throughout the border a few times a month was a “extra beneficial deal with”.
She named a slew of sights — higher tennis courts, high quality meals, extra reasonably priced motels, and a therapeutic massage parlour the place she may watch a film whereas having her ft rubbed.
“In Hong Kong, even when I’m keen to pay for an costly meal, I’ll not get good service,” Leung mentioned.
Dwindling consumption has led to a months-long wave of outlets and eating places closing.
A Facebook group compiling information of native enterprise closures noticed its membership surge to greater than 350,000 inside weeks.
The final 10 days of April noticed the shuttering of two cinemas, together with one with 58 years of historical past.
Asked concerning the shutdowns, Hong Kong chief John Lee on Tuesday brushed apart the suggestion of financial woes and referred to as them “adjustments that may inevitably happen in our financial transformation”.
“Together we should always promote the great aspect of Hong Kong to everybody,” Lee mentioned. — eNM
