Lower thirds:

00:02 Report by Patrick Fok
02:16 Ben Quinlan, Quinlan & Associates

Script:

0:00 Hong Kong’s Golden Bauhinia Square is a symbol of the city’s return to China… following 150 years of colonial rule.

The sculpture here was gifted by the Chinese government to mark the handover in 1997.

UPS/ C3336 PHOTOTAKING, GOLDEN BAUHNIA ON CAM

It’s a favourite sight seeing spot for visitors from mainland China.

0:21 VOXPOP 1 DUB MANDARIN

“We like to see it as part of the motherland, to see our Hong Kong. It's great that Hong Kong has returned to the motherland.”

0:27 Busloads of tourists come to the square throughout the day.

Many, like Yao, who’s here for the first time, are visiting the city on low-cost travel packages, and won’t even stay overnight.

0:38 “We came on a small bus. There were about ten people and it was pretty cheap.”

(trim)

“If you want to come here and really see the place properly, one day is definitely not enough.”

0:49 Six years since the COVID-19 pandemic, Hong Kong’s once-thriving tourism industry is struggling to rebound.

Total visitor numbers in 2024 hit 44.5 million, about 10 million more than the year before, but still well below the 65 million recorded in 2018.

In the past, it could rely on cash-rich shoppers from the other side of the Chinese border.

Visitors from China still make up more than 75 percent of the tourists that come, but an economic slowdown on the mainland has put a dampener on the city.

Although year-on-year visitors are rising, average spending has fallen significantly. 

Official government data showed overnight visitor spending in 2024 went down by more than a fifth, to around $700 per person, compared to about $900 the year before.

Some trips advertised on Chinese travel platforms go for less than $5.

The sight of visitors hunkering down in 24-hour McDonald’s restaurants has left many people questioning what economic benefit there is for Hong Kong.

The government says millionaires or McTourists, the city needs them all.

BEN QUINLAN, QUINLAN & ASSOCIATES
“I don’t agree with that strategy at all.”

Hong Konger Ben Quinlan is CEO of a consultancy firm that’s been studying what the city needs to do to revive tourism and says the government needs a more targeted approach.

BEN QUINLAN, QUINLAN & ASSOCIATES

“I don’t think Hong Kong should be positioned to make anyone feel unwelcome. We have much more affordable options. You can eat cheap, you can transport cheap, all those options are available. But we should still encourage people to come and spend. That’s the whole idea.”

Travellers reluctant to loosen their purse strings are piling pressure on retailers.

Total sales in 2024 hit $48 billion, a 7.3 percent decline compared to the year prior.

Many shops have been forced to shutter.

Thrifty visitors aren’t all to blame. 

There’s also stiff competition with other destinations in the region.

VOXPOP 2 (VISITOR FROM US)

“This is our first stop in Asia, and I think compared to other Asian cities we’re going to, it's probably the more expensive one.”

Experts say Hong Kong will struggle to compete on pricing.

But it should create experiences for visitors from China and elsewhere to showcase what makes it unique… so that it stands out as a top destination for travel…

… or else it risks being labelled as a low-cost stop off for budget bus tours.