The number of mainland visitors travelling to Hong Kong for the October National Day “golden week” could drop by 2% to 3% this year. Hotels and retailers expect fewer visitors and lower business turnover for the holiday.
Michael Wu Siu-ying, chairman of the Travel Industry Council, said visitor numbers during the first week of October could slide as the number of mainland tour groups is expected to drop by 6% to 8%, according to Chinese language newspaper Sing Tao.
Meanwhile, hotel prices are likely to fall, possibly by over 10%, the newspaper said, citing a manager at the Gloucester Luk Kwok Hotel in Wan Chai. Only 60% to 70% of rooms at the hotel have been booked for the second to fourth day of golden week, the manager told Sing Tao. The price of rooms will drop from HK$1,500 a night on average in past years to about HK$1,200 this year. Jewellery retailer King Fook also foresees a drop in business from mainland visitors, the Hong Kong Economic Journal reported. The general manager of the company, Wong Ka-ki, said sales to mainland travellers have declined by 5% to 8% so far this year. Wong said she does not expect the situation to improve during golden week.
