Inexpensive dining and shopping were the main reasons Hongkongers gave for visiting mainland China, a survey has found. The Asia Tourism Exchange Center (ATEC) published the results of a survey on the travel habits of Hong Kong and Macau residents pertaining to mainland China visits on Tuesday. The survey looked at what attracted people to travel to the mainland, the number of visits they made a year, their budget, and other topics relating to mainland travel.
The results showed that 35.8 per cent of survey respondents from Hong Kong said they were drawn to China due to the cost-effectiveness of dining and shopping there. A smaller percentage of respondents selected other reasons: 30.
8 per cent cited the “richness of cultural and tourism resources,” while around 20 per cent cited geographical proximity. The findings differed when the question was asked of Macau residents, with cultural and tourism resources, as well as convenience of travel, emerging as the top reasons. Another question asked the aim of respondents’ travel to the mainland.
For Hong Kong residents, dining and shopping was the most popular reason, with 45 per cent of respondents choosing that option. In second and third place were “relaxation holiday” and sightseeing. Thirteen per cent said visiting friends and family was their main aim of travelling to the mainland.
See also: Hongkongers ‘heading north’ to spend proves success of Greater Bay Area, official says, as 74.6 million trips logged The ATEC conducted the survey from April to June. A total of 1,594 participants were recruited online and offline, including at travel conventions.
The survey also found that more than 80 per cent of Hong Kong respondents estimated that they visited mainland China one to 10 times a year. Around 12 per cent said they made 11 to 20 visits a year. Macau residents reported making more regular trips across the border, with 61 per cent estimating that they made one to 10 visits a year, and over 25 per cent saying they went to the mainland between 11 to 20 times in a year.
Hong Kong and Macau tourists have long travelled to mainland China, with more trips made in 2019 than now, according to the ATEC. But Hong Kong’s slower than expected economic recovery after Covid curbs were lifted, alongside reports of residents travelling to mainland China on weekends and holidays citing lower prices and better service, have put a spotlight on cross-border travel. Leaders of restaurant and retail industries have said business has suffered due to Hongkongers spending more time away from the city.
The government has also acknowledged the trend’s impact on the local economy. Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Algernon Yau told lawmakers in June that Hongkongers’ increased spending in the mainland was among the factors that have “indeed posed challenges to the operations of certain local small and medium enterprises.” The ATEC survey found that just under 40 per cent of Hongkongers typically budgeted between HK$1,000 and HK$4,000 for their mainland trips.
Twenty per cent budgeted between HK$4,000 to HK$8,000, while 30 per cent allowed for expenditures of HK$1,000. Guangdong province across the border from Hong Kong and home to dining and shopping capital Shenzhen, was not the most popular destination according to the survey, however. A question on their preferred mainland travel destinations saw Beijing at the top, followed by Xinjiang and then Guangdong.
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