The number of group tourists from the Chinese mainland to Hong Kong decreased during the Christmas holiday as many visitors shifted to Japan and South Korea, a report from news portal said on Sunday.
The number of group tourists going from the mainland to Hong Kong dropped 20 percent to 30 percent during the Christmas holiday, probably because tourists on the mainland had more choices such as Japan and South Korea, Tung Yao-chung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, was quoted as saying by the Xinhua News Agency on Saturday.
An incident in which a middle-aged mainland visitor was reportedly beaten to death by a group of thugs in a dispute during a shopping trip in Hong Kong in October contributed to the decline in mainland visitors, Tung said, said Xinhua.
Tung does not expect visitor arrivals from the mainland will rise during the upcoming New Year holiday this week, and he has concerns that the figure will continue to decline in the Lunar New Year holiday next month, the report said.
Tung called for merchants and related tourism institutions in Hong Kong to offer better services to mainland tourists, said the Xinhua report.
The weaker yen and simplified visa procedures encouraged more mainland tourists to visit Japan, experts said.
The number of group visitors from the mainland to Hong Kong declined 26 percent during the Lunar New Year holiday year-on-year this year, the report said.
As of October, the number of visitors to Hong Kong had declined for five consecutive months, the report from said.
