Mainlanders Bypass Hong Kong for Golden Week

Hong Kong is losing its luster for the increasingly affluent, sophisticated mainland tourists during the National Day holiday.

For years, Hong Kong was the first choice for outbound mainland Chinese tourists. Now it is losing visitors to competitors such as Macao, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and Europe. A 2013 report from Boston Consulting Group said mainland Chinese tourists are set to abandon Hong Kong for the wider world within a decade.

Simon Lee, Assistant Dean (Undergraduate) and Senior Lecturer of School of Accountancy at The Chinese University of Hong Kong Business School, says in an interview with China Daily that Hong Kong lacks the kind of surprises that tourists expect.

Lee states that “Hong Kong only has the Ngong Ping 360 cable car and Hong Kong Disneyland, constructed 10 years ago, compared with the huge tourist infrastructure in Singapore and Macao.”

He also points out that “Hong Kong is only an agent in retail sales, and the products are not produced here. Due to the high rent, no matter whether the products are luxurious or inexpensive, prices are 10 to 20 percent lower in Thailand, Japan and Taiwan. Even Hong Kong people think that it is not a good value for the money.”

Lee adds that Hong Kong needs more resort hotels, a new theme park, more mega-events and better protection of its heritage… Read More

The story is also available in the newspaper’s print edition. Please click the image below for further reading.

Source: China Daily
Date published: 1 October, 2015