Cross-border infrastructures fuel Hong Kong in-depth tour

HONG KONG - Fueled by Hong Kong section of Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, a growing number of tourists explore in-depth tour in Hong Kong as cross-border infrastructures shorten the distance between the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

To update tourists' travel experience, Hong Kong Tourism Board promotes a tour with local feature, namely "Hong Kong Neighbourhood - Sham Shui Po" for in-depth tour fans to immerse themselves in the living culture of Hong Kong.

Located at the western part of Kowloon, a 30-minute drive from Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, Sham Shui Po boasts Mei Ho House which used to be part of Hong Kong's oldest public housing complex, Kung Wo beancurd factory where neighbors gather for meals, and Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre where tourists can experience a wide array of art forms.

"With the new opening of the mega bridge and the new opening of the new highspeed rail way, we do see a little bit of increase with the mainland tourists coming into the Mei Ho House," said Jude Mendes, the general manager of YHA Mei Ho House Youth Hostel.

Tammy Cheung, the senior manager of a Hong Kong tourism agency Eco Travel, said Hong Kong in-depth tourism remains a niche market, but it attracts more attention from the mainland as it is easier for tourists to travel from and to Hong Kong via the cross-border express rail link and the bridge.

Apart from Sham Shui Po, Central is another district Hong Kong Tourism Board promotes. In Central, Tai Kwun has become a new trend for tourists. Tai Kwun, a nickname for former Central Police Station, has been turned to a culture attraction after being revitalized.

Tai Kwun was a destination Wu Ruoqi enjoyed. Wu joined a cultural tour to Hong Kong with his classmates from a middle school in Guangzhou. He said he will come to Hong Kong again via the express rail link as it only takes no more than one hour to reach Hong Kong.

According to latest statistics, from January to November last year, visitor arrivals from the mainland witnessed a 14.2 percent increase to reach 46 million compared with the same period in 2017. Hong Kong remains a popular tourist destination for mainland tourists, said Nielsen Hong Kong in its market research and study survey. Ninety percent of a total of 1,106 respondents in this survey said they will visit Hong Kong again in the near future.