Opinion | Hong Kong tourism desperately needs a boost in the changed post-Covid landscape
- Shopping is outmoded – most holidaymakers are becoming more eco-minded and adventurous
- Promoting the city as an arts and culture hub and offering more recreational activities could recapture tourists, not only from the mainland but from the rest of the world
Last month, 2.75 million tourists visited Hong Kong, with mainlanders making up 2.15 million, according to preliminary Tourism Board data. For the half-year total of nearly 13 million, more than 10 million came from the mainland. Although arrivals have improved, mainland visitors remain lower than many had anticipated.
Meanwhile, there have been numerous media reports of a surge in Hongkongers taking day trips to Shenzhen for food and recreation. The plodding recovery of Hong Kong tourism is being overshadowed by these northbound crossings.
This lopsidedness is reflected in second-quarter data collected by Alipay: the amount of spending and the number of payment transactions by Hongkongers in the mainland have increased by more than threefold from the previous three months. Other travel and consumption data pointed to a similar trend. Hong Kong people are pouring into Shenzhen and the surrounding cities.
