HK shoppers flocking north for bargains, fun and food

Trendy travel

According to a survey conducted in February by the Hong Kong Research Association, 25 percent of respondents said they spent on average 1,000 yuan ($141) or more every day when they visited the Chinese mainland in the past year.

While 33 percent said they would reduce spending in Hong Kong as a result, 34 percent said they would not, said the survey, which was based on interviews with 1,007 city residents aged 18 or above.

A Hong Kong media professional surnamed Mok said he spends two or three days in Shenzhen every month for social gatherings and to enjoy gaming.

"I went there for indoor go-karting with a friend at a shopping mall in Longgang district last week," Mok said.

"It cost 256 yuan for unlimited access for the whole day to all the facilities in the sprawling play area, including go-cart racing, bowling and ice-skating. In Hong Kong, a similar go-kart experience would cost about HK$210($26.80) for only eight minutes."

While "heading north" for shopping and recreation has become trendy, the reverse is also happening, official statistics show. Mainland visitors accounted for nearly 80 percent of Hong Kong's inbound tourists last year, according to data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Of around 34 million visitors to the city in 2023, approximately 26.5 million were from the mainland.

On the business side, more than 40 catering enterprises from the Chinese mainland had completed or were having trademark registration processed in Hong Kong last year.

Industry insiders and experts said that Hong Kong should introduce more favorable travel measures, upgrade its tourist attractions and develop its cultural identity to woo more mainland tourists.

Hong Kong, famed as a shopping paradise, has lived off its past for a long time, said Edward Lau Kwokfan, a member of Hong Kong's Legislative Council.

The city should rethink how to consolidate its policy, position and resources advantages, and explore setting up more tourist hot spots to offer different experiences to visitors, he said.