Letters | More roads lead to Hong Kong: how to improve tourist spending

Readers discuss ways to attract more visitors from mainland China and belt and road countries, and the success of the Chinese New Year Cup

Reading Time:3 minutes

Football fans wait for autographs during the Chinese New Year Cup at Hong Kong Stadium in Causeway Bay on February 13. Tourists have and will come to Hong Kong for sports events. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 11:30am, 22 Feb 2024

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This year’s Lunar New Year holidays went by quickly. There were a lot of events and many short-stay tourists from the mainland visited Hong Kong. But restaurant operators I spoke to said their Chinese New Year billings were only better than during the Covid-19 period despite the heavy crowds. I could probably sum up the reason for that in one word: cost.

We lament that tourists are not spending. A friend of mine who is of Southeast Asian descent told me his daughter’s wedding banquet in Hong Kong, even at a friendship price, would cost HK$16,000 per table in a reputable five-star hotel on Hong Kong Island, whereas the event in a top Chinese restaurant in Johor Bahru in Malaysia with a similar menu would cost only HK$4,000 a table.

Johor Bahru is becoming very popular with northeastern Chinese tourists, given that the weather is good and the hospitality friendly and economical. When I searched several hotel booking platforms, the most expensive hotel in Johor Bahru during the current Chinese New Year period was about HK$550 per night. What bargains do we offer in Hong Kong?

More importantly, both Malaysia and Singapore have recently granted tourists from mainland China visa-free entry for 30 days, and the number of tourists flocking to these two destinations has surged.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong offers investment and talent schemes for immigrants, which only a minority qualify for. Visitors from the mainland deserve to be granted visa-free entry for 15 days or more without conditions.