Hong Kong records 20% fewer trips on day 1 of ‘golden week’ holiday amid bad weather

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 Hong Kong on the first day of the break.

In Tsim Sha Tsui, hundreds of visitors descended on the popular tourist spot Avenue of Stars even as the Victoria Peak was obscured by thick fog from the waterfront promenade.

The Post observed that many visitors from the mainland on Thursday were making day trips to the city from places close to the border, and were not intending to stay overnight in Hong Kong or to go on a shopping spree.

Shenzhen resident Zhang Yu arrived in Hong Kong on Thursday morning and enjoyed a classic local snack pineapple bun in a cafe in Mong Kok before heading to the 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 felt a little greasy towards the end as there was a lot of butter.”

Zhang was in the city with three friends from school, who came to Hong Kong by MTR. Their itinerary included taking the Star Ferry to Central, going on the Ferris wheel, and boarding the Peak Tram.

“I’m not planning to go shopping as time is limited, as 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 China, who noted her trip set her back about 600-700 yuan (US$97).

Hong Kong eateries worry weather will put off mainland tourists over ‘golden week’

Liao Yingwei and two friends looked up travel strategies by influencers on the Instagram-like Chinese 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, 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 their 1,500-yuan high speed rail ticket to the city.

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Clerk Lü Bingxin’s trip to Hong Kong with her friend was cut short from two days to one because of flight delays. She missed the fireworks display Wednesday evening as a result.

“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.”

Lü, who is in her twenties and from Zhejiang, said the whole trip had cost her around 3,000-4,000 yuan, although they were not planning to shop.

The government had expected 5.9 million trips – departures and arrivals – 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 over 60 per cent, or 34,422, by local residents. The total number of trips was 162,242.