The Traveller's Magazine
Tourists arriving in Hong Kong dropped by 9% in March, the first monthly drop since June 2009. Experts say fewer visitors from mainland China are crossing the border.
Hong Kong Tourism Board reported that the number of people booking flights to Hong Kong has slipped 8.7% this year to only 4.4 million. Visitors from mainland dropped 10% to 3.24 million.
The drop in tourist numbers comes with a slowing economic growth in China. Hong Kong was also protesting against day-trippers from China who travelled across the borders from the mainland only to buy daily necessities, and re-sell them on the mainland for a higher price.
Retail sales started falling in the first two months of the year, and spending on luxury items fell by 14% last year, while sales on products like cosmetics, medicine and groceries rose by 9.3%, particularly in Hong Kong’s border areas. The trend has really led to a lot of clashes along the border against Chinese day-trippers only coming across to buy for re-sale.
