Survey: Over 70% of HongKongers plan to visit China in the near future

Over half (53%) of consumers in Hong Kong have travelled to mainland China in the past six months, while over 77% are planning to visit China in the near future, a study has found. 

The OMG study, which was conducted from mid-September to late October, has surveyed 800 HongKongers. It aims to understand HongKongers' travel habits and plans to visit mainland China over the past year. 

According to the survey, consumers in Hong Kong on average travelled more than three times to mainland China in the past six months, with 66% of travel directed towards dining and cuisine, while 65% of travellers last went to the mainland for shopping. Additionally, 57% of consumers did not stay overnight on their last trip.

In terms of their preferences for transportation, a majority of consumers said they travelled by rail transit on their last visit to China, while 42% said they travelled by cross-boundary coaches.

Among them, travelling by rail transit is preferred across all age groups surveyed, particularly among younger travellers aged between 18 and 34. Geographically, the study showed that those living in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are much more likely to travel by rail, while those living in the New Territories prefer cross-boundary buses.  

Despite over three-fourths of consumers with plans to visit mainland China, those who travelled to mainland China in the past six months pointed out several reasons for not planning to revisit, including food safety concerns (47%), not appealing tourist attractions (33%), and low-quality products (29%).

"2023 sees a trend that more Hong Kong people are travelling and planning to go to mainland China, especially the Greater Bay Area, for leisure and consumption," said Nicole Cheng, insights director of Omnicom Media Group Hong Kong.

In fact, visitors to mainland China have enjoyed shorter trips after the Chinese authorities lifted a mandatory health declaration in October this year. Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce CEO Patrick Yeung Wai-tim said the move is a positive step for improving connectivity.

He told the SCMP earlier that together with the recent move to issue multiple-entry visas to foreigners working in Hong Kong to visit the mainland, this initiative makes it quicker and easier to travel within the one-hour living circle.

However, Hong Kong's tourism chief Kevin Yeung Yun-hung believed the move would have a limited effect on the number of people visiting China. “I don’t think many people are deterred from going to the mainland because of the black code. They travel there based on what is attractive,” he said on a radio programme.

According to Webb-site database on passenger traffic, since the China-Hong Kong border reopened, more than 1.5 million HongKongers have crossed the border monthly on average. In November 2023, there were more than 1.9 million Hong Kong residents departing the city.

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