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Vivian Au

Lo Hoi-ying

Hong Kong is among the top destinations for mainland Chinese visitors for the coming National Day “golden week”, state media has said, while tourism industry leaders have attributed the city’s appeal to its strong transport network.
Popular destinations in Asia included Bangkok in Thailand, Seoul in South Korea, Osaka in Japan and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, according to state broadcaster CCTV which examined outbound flight ticket orders from various travel platforms.
The media outlet said on Monday mainland travellers could fly to the destinations in five hours or less.
But Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said the city had an edge over other places as a destination for mainland tourists, thanks to its convenient transport network including frequent flights and high-speed rail.
“The number of flights from the mainland to the city exceeds those to other destinations,” he said.
He noted that on Monday alone, there were 58 flights from the mainland to Singapore, compared with 89 flights to Hong Kong.
“The number of flights from the mainland to Hong Kong far exceeds other destinations, resulting in cheaper air tickets,” he said, adding that travellers were therefore more inclined to visit the city.

Chui said he also expected the large number of tourists to benefit businesses including retail and hotel industries, even though the sluggish economy might affect travellers’ willingness to spend.
He said bookings at his hotel in To Kwa Wan were already full for the coming week.
The Immigration Department earlier this month said about 10 million people, including residents and tourists, would pass through the city’s sea, land and air crossings from September 28 to October 7.
Authorities said the travel figures were expected to peak on National Day on October 1 – the start of the seven-day golden week. They anticipated about 523,000 outbound and 632,000 inbound trips.
According to the Travel Industry Council, Hong Kong was expected to welcome as many as 1.2 million mainland visitors during the golden week holiday, up by 10 per cent from last year.
Sara Leung Fong-yuen, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Employees General Union, said that Asian cities including Hong Kong were popular destinations for mainlanders
“The economy in China is still recovering,” she said. “Travellers may be reluctant to spend significantly and are likely to choose short-term trips.”
“The transport between the Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong is very convenient compared with the past,” she said, adding that travellers can take the train to visit the city within a few hours.
The bay area is Beijing’s plan to integrate Hong Kong, Macau and nine other cities in Guangdong province into an economic hub.

Leung said the retail industry should bolster efforts to provide the best experience for travellers to increase the city’s competitiveness.
“Mainland travellers are staying fewer days in the city while some just come for a walk without staying overnight,” she said.
The biggest attractions were in-depth tours and traditional elements such as the neon signs of Hong Kong, she said.
Jocelyn Yin and Sun Moli, both from neighbouring Shenzhen, arrived in Hong Kong via the high-speed rail for a day trip on Monday morning.
The 27-year-olds said they regularly took short trips to Hong Kong and chose to visit again before National Day to avoid the crowds.
“When I am in Hong Kong, I feel more willing to splurge as I feel like I am on holiday,” Sun, a dance instructor, said.
“Shenzhen has got so expensive that the cost of food is comparable to Hong Kong,” Sun added, pointing to her cup of coffee from the coffee chain Arabica.
Yin, who works in e-commerce, said that they would spend about HK$500 (US$64) per person during their day trips to the city, mostly on food.
She added that she enjoyed taking regular short trips to Hong Kong as the city had a more diverse cityscape, with colonial-era buildings and neon signs, compared with Shenzhen.
Roxy Xu, a fresh graduate from Huizhou in Guangdong province who was taking photos of Victoria Harbour at Tsim Sha Tsui with her friend, said she was not aware of the fireworks display tomorrow night and was only visiting for one day.
“It is my first time here and I have always wanted to visit because I heard it is a beautiful city,” the 23-year-old said. “Hongkongers are not as bad as people have described online, everyone we met so far has been really nice to us.”


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Tourists visit Golden Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai. Photo: Sam Tsang

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National University of Singapore’s UTown Green. Photo: Jean Iau

NUS has said it will introduce a visitor access system to control crowds in certain areas. Photo: Jean Iau

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State media says Osaka, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur also popular, while tourism insiders highlight Hong Kong’s ease of access as an advantage


State media says Osaka, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur also popular, while tourism insiders highlight Hong Kong’s ease of access as an advantage.
