Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong said he believed the bad weather had discouraged some visitors, although he noted others might have avoided travelling to the city on the first day of the break.
In Tsim Sha Tsui, hundreds of visitors descended on popular tourist spot Avenue of Stars despite thick fog obscuring Victoria Peak from the waterfront promenade.
The Post observed on Thursday that many visitors from the mainland were making day trips to the city from places close to the border, and were not planning to go on shopping sprees.
Shenzhen resident Zhang Yu arrived in the city on Thursday morning and enjoyed a classic local pineapple bun snack in a cafe in Mong Kok before heading to Tsim Sha Tsui.
“We went to Kam Wah Cafe and Cake Shop for the bun, it’s apparently the best in Hong Kong,” the 33-year-old aviation professional said. “It’s not bad but it felt a little greasy towards the end as there was a lot of butter.”
Zhang crossed the border at Lo Wu with three friends from school, before taking the MTR to head downtown. Their itinerary included taking a trip on the Star Ferry to Central, going on the Hong Kong Observation Wheel and riding the Peak Tram.
“I’m not planning to go shopping as time is limited, and also because I’m with friends. But I may do so next time, if I come by myself,” said Zhang, a native of the northeastern part of the mainland, who noted her trip set her back about 600 to 700 yuan (US$97).
Hong Kong eateries worry weather will put off mainland tourists over ‘golden week’
Hong Kong eateries worry weather will put off mainland tourists over ‘golden week’
Liao Yingwei and two friends looked up travel tips from influencers on the Instagram-like mainland social media platform Xiaohongshu before coming to Hong Kong for her day trip. They plan to visit Mong Kok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Central.
“We simply plan to wander around and take in the city atmosphere. It’s our first time in Hong Kong,” said Liao, who works in education and plans to return to Shenzhen after her day trip.
“Shopping is not a must for us, but we’ll see. We’re not entirely sure yet. We’ll go have a look at duty free shops,” the 25-year-old Guangxi native said, adding that she had not spent much yet apart from on the 1,500-yuan high-speed rail ticket to the city.
Hong Kong tourism veteran urges promotion efforts after ‘golden week’ fireworks
Hong Kong tourism veteran urges promotion efforts after ‘golden week’ fireworks
Clerk Lu Bingxin’s trip to Hong Kong with her friend was cut short from two days to one because of flight delays, causing her to miss the fireworks display Wednesday evening.
“We want to go to the graffiti wall in Central for photos, and also Kennedy Town,” she said. “We are also looking to get egg tarts.”
Lu, who is in her twenties and from Zhejiang, said the whole trip had cost her about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, although they were not planning to shop.
The government had expected 5.9 million trips – departures and arrivals – to be made between May 1 and 5, with around 800,000 mainland visitors spending the holiday in the city.
As of 10am on Thursday, 110,741 trips were made to Hong Kong on the second day of the golden week holiday, including 52,947 from mainland tourists.
Over the same period, 51,501 outbound journeys were recorded with more than 60 per cent, or 34,422, made by local residents. The total number of trips was 162,242.
