Despite the worry and sleepless nights from Hongkongers who sell milk powder and dried seafood, the number of mainlanders coming to the city shot up 24 percent over Labour Day weekend when compared to 2014. Phew.
Arrivals from Mainland China hit 177,056 on May 1, almost a quarter more than last year, according to figures from the immigration department.
Visitors from other countries were also up to 55,800, marking an increase of 14.7 percent.
By the Saturday, more than 430,000 tourists had arrived compared to 369,059 last year, and by 5pm yesterday, we’d managed to squeeze in another 263,000.
When spread across the entire weekend, visitors as a whole increased 10 percent.
However, retailers are still complaining that tourists just aren’t what they used to be.
One pharmacy told the Standard that sales of abalone and dried fish maw had dropped by 50 percent, while a luxury watch outlet whined that people are only spending HKD30,000 instead of HKD100,000 on timepieces.
Travel Industry Council chief Michael Wu Siu-ien said the rise in mainland visitors could be down to an inceasing number using Hong Kong as a transit point to other destinations.
