Tourism looks to weather drop in numbers

07-05-2024 00:00 HKT

The more than 760,000 mainlanders who visited Hong Kong during the Labor Day Golden Week had already beat expectations given the unstable weather, said Legislative Council member Perry Yiu Pak-leung.

Yiu, who represents the sector, acknowledged that the number fell short of the government's estimate of 800,000, but said there has been a noticeable increase in tourist numbers since the pandemic ended.

He emphasized the need for the government and various sectors to collaborate to get tourists to spend and prolong their stay.

"Hong Kong should partner with other Greater Bay Area cities to jointly promote tourism, leveraging their unique appeal to both overseas and mainland tourists," he said, proposing a one-trip-two-stop tour for Hong Kong and Macau be introduced.

Travel Industry Council chairwoman Gianna Hsu Wong Mei-lun too expressed satisfaction with the tourist numbers.

"The overall weather during the holiday was relatively favorable and the streets became more crowded, an indication of increased tourist activity,"she said, adding that rainy days tend to drive more tourists into malls, benefiting retailers.

However, she said, mainland tour groups were fewer than expected as the adverse weather affected flights.

Nevertheless, she expressed optimism for higher numbers during the National Day Golden Week Holiday with Qingdao and Xi'an's inclusion in the individual travel scheme in February.

Tourism Board executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat said Hong Kong had pursued the implementation of promotional strategies exhaustively and urged all tourism sectors to conduct self-reviews and transform in response to changing tourist consumption patterns, given that Hongkongers' shopping preferences had shifted towards the mainland.

For him, it is unrealistic to expect tourist numbers to return to prepandemic levels, given overcrowding during peak seasons was an issue then.

In response to comments that May 1 pyrotechnics event may not be attractive to mainlanders, he said the 10-minute show was meant to create a festive atmosphere.

The Culture, Sports, and Tourism Bureau said the number of mainland tourists was in line with expectations, with secretary Kevin Yeung Yun-hung adding that "tourists contributed over HK$2 billion to the local economy, and the overall hotel occupancy exceeded 85 percent."