Mainland tourists spending lesser with shorter visits during CNY holiday in HK

While Hong Kong received more than 1.25 million mainland tourists over the Chinese New Year holidays, each visitor only spent around HK$200 to HK$300 on average and returned the same day of their visit.

During the eight-day Chinese New Year golden week of the mainland (內地春節黃金周) (10 February 2024 to 17 February 2024),  the daily average of mainland visitors recorded by the Hong Kong Immigration Department was around 157k, which exceeded the daily average for the same period in pre pandemic 2018.

Don’t miss: HK sees more than 1.25 million mainland tourists over CNY holiday

Speaking on a Commercial Radio programme on Monday (19 February), Fanny Yeung, executive director, Travel Industry Council, said that during the Chinese New Year period, around half of the mainland tour groups visiting Hong Kong returned on the same day. Most of them came from cities in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) such as Zhuhai. The average spending per person was approximately HK$200 to HK$300, which was reasonable.

According to Yeung, the Travel Industry Council initially anticipated around 40k to 50k mainland tour groups visiting Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year holiday. However, there were over 1,980 mainland tour groups entering the city, involving approximately 66k travellers. On average, more than 200 mainland tour groups arrived daily, surpassing the daily average of over 170 groups in 2019.

Yeung said that as the Golden Week approaches, rising hotel prices result in a decline in the number of tour groups visiting Hong Kong. She suggested that the government should start the promotions six to eight weeks in advance to assist travel agencies in planning.

When it comes to the catering industry, Raymond Chui, chairman of the Institute of Dining Professionals, mentioned on the same programme that despite the challenges posed by the declining property and stock markets, the decrease in locals' income and locals traveling to the mainland after the borders reopened, it is lucky that the local revenue didn't plummet below 15%.

Chui also highlighted that while the Chinese New Year events have led to an increase in the number of mainland tourists, their spending power has weakened. For instance, when dining at restaurants in Hong Kong, tourists' average spending has decreased from around HK$150 to HK$200 to only HK$50 to HK$100.

Chui highlighted that mainland China's catering and retail industries have exceeded Hong Kong's in terms of quality, service and locations. Hong Kong’s focus should be on leveraging local integration processes to emphasise positioning and advantages.

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