Over 377k mainland tourists leave HK during first 3 days of 'golden week'

Over 377,000 tourists from mainland China have left Hong Kong over the first three days of the Labour Day "golden week" holiday, of which the number of mainland tourists departing the city was the highest on 1 May. Meanwhile, about 451,000 crossed the border into the city over the past three days. 

According to the official figures on Immigration Department website, the number of mainland tourists (134,177) departing the city was the highest on 1 May, compared with the first two days, 132,486 on 30 April and 110,547 on 29 April. Meanwhile, the first day of the "golden week", 29 April, saw over 165,000 mainland tourists entering the city, much higher than 129,349 on 1 May and 156,313 on 30 April. 

On the other hand, the occupancy rates of hotels in Hong Kong during the "golden week" have reached over 70%, the ones near popular tourist destinations including Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui saw the most number of hotel bookings, Caspar Tsui Ying Wai, executive director of Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners said on a RTHK programme. Meanwhile, he added that the number of overnight stays was affected as medium- and long-haul passenger flights had not yet reached half of pre-pandemic levels. Staff shortages were also still hindering the industry’s recovery.

Hotel prices also surged over the weekend. A check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw on online booking platform Klook that, prices for a harbour view twin room at Rosewood Hong Kong in Tsim Sha Tsui hit HK$8,741 a night from 2 to 3 May.

When asked about whether the hotel rates during the Golden Week will impact Hong Kong's competitiveness in luring tourists, Tsui said that the consumption power of the mainland people is strong, and the transparency of online room reservations is also high. He also said hotel rates in Beijing and Hainan are roughly similar to those in Hong Kong, emphasising that Hong Kong is absolutely competitive.

However, he added that the booking speed this time was slower than pre-pandemic level. "I believe that this is due to domestic flights have not resumed their maximum carrying capacity. "Golden week" has always been dominated by self-guided tourists, so the reservations for hotel rooms are mainly for individual tourists," he added. 

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