By South China Morning Post | Created at 2024-12-26 05:41:28 | Updated at 2024-12-26 18:43:51
13 hours ago
Hong Kong has seen a net outflow of more than 690,000 trips during the Christmas holiday, while the catering sector reports an 8 per cent increase in business compared with last year.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, attributed the growth in business to the resumption of a multiple-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen residents.
“The average spending per mainland [Chinese] tourist is down by about 20 per cent compared with pre-pandemic times,” he said on Thursday.
“But the higher numbers of visitors [bolstered by the reintroduction of the multiple-entry visa scheme for Shenzhen citizens], has compensated for this loss.”
Over a five-day period starting from Saturday last week, Hong Kong recorded more than 2.3 million arrivals and 3.02 million departures, resulting in a net outflow of 690,110, according to data from the Immigration Department.
Among the departures, 75 per cent, or 2.26 million trips, were made by Hongkongers. A total of 782,641 people visited the city during the period, 74 per cent of whom were from the mainland.
