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Letters | More roads lead to Hong Kong: how to improve tourist spending
- Readers discuss ways to attract more visitors from mainland China and belt and road countries, and the success of the Chinese New Year Cup
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This year’s Lunar New Year holidays went by quickly. There were a lot of events and many short-stay tourists from the mainland visited Hong Kong. But restaurant operators I spoke to said their Chinese New Year billings were only better than during the Covid-19 period despite the heavy crowds. I could probably sum up the reason for that in one word: cost.
We lament that tourists are not spending. A friend of mine who is of Southeast Asian descent told me his daughter’s wedding banquet in Hong Kong, even at a friendship price, would cost HK$16,000 per table in a reputable five-star hotel on Hong Kong Island, whereas the event in a top Chinese restaurant in Johor Bahru in Malaysia with a similar menu would cost only HK$4,000 a table.
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Johor Bahru is becoming very popular with northeastern Chinese tourists, given that the weather is good and the hospitality friendly and economical. When I searched several hotel booking platforms, the most expensive hotel in Johor Bahru during the current Chinese New Year period was about HK$550 per night. What bargains do we offer in Hong Kong?
More importantly, both Malaysia and Singapore have recently granted tourists from mainland China visa-free entry for 30 days, and the number of tourists flocking to these two destinations has surged.
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Meanwhile, Hong Kong offers investment and talent schemes for immigrants, which only a minority qualify for. Visitors from the mainland deserve to be granted visa-free entry for 15 days or more without conditions.
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