Chinese tourists to Hong Kong, Macao look for more culturally immersive experiences

HONG KONG: China's move to reopen its borders about six months ago has led to a gradual rebound in Hong Kong and Macao's travel sectors.

Mainland Chinese visitors made up nearly 9 million visitor arrivals to both destinations in the first quarter this year. With limited flights to the cities, they formed the majority.

But conspicuously fewer are the tour buses they would previously stream in on. Chinese travellers are now opting to go alone instead.

"At this stage, we can see that over 95 per cent of these travellers are individual, independent travellers, not on any specific sort of group tour," said Mr Dane Cheng, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

He added that for tours to become popular again, Hong Kong needs to start ramping up capacities, tour coaches and tour guides.

APPETITE FOR NEW EXPERIENCES

Tighter gaming laws and a slowing Chinese economy compounded by the fallout of COVID-19 restrictions have kept big spenders away.

Where the luxury market is flagging, another is growing - one for culturally immersive experiences.

Some are finding such experiences outside of tourist hotspots.

Paul Chan, for instance, takes travellers through quieter neighbourhoods that are not often on tourists' radar.

Mr Chan, CEO of Walk in Hong Kong, has worked with the tourism board to develop itineraries across the city.

“Mainland tourists form about 80 per cent of our tourist market. We run these in-depth, immersive small group tours, and we also see that there’s a modest increase of mainland tourists,” he said.

"As a practitioner in the tourism trade, we see the business logic and opportunity for delving into different communities."

Smaller merchants, like 118-year-old preserved beancurd shop Liu Ma Kee, have reaped the benefits.

Since China's reopening, it has made 30 per cent more in sales.

Owner Liu May Tsoi said: “We run a family business. When tourists come in, they tend to chat with us. We want our visitors to feel like home. This feeling is more important when it comes to the development of the city.”

OFF THE BEATEN PATH

Trips to Cheung Chau, an island long seen as a quiet escape away from Hong Kong, have also become more popular.

Travellers have been posting about their adventures to local streets as well as hikes that are off the beaten path on Chinese social media app "Xiao Hong Shu".

When CNA made the trip to the island, even on a weekday, the ferry - the only way to get to the island southwest of Hong Kong - was nearly at full capacity.

Many of the visitors were from mainland China. Some were there to experience “more authentic and traditional” aspects of the country.

SOME BUSINESSES LAGGING

While some have benefitted, others are struggling to find their space in a new market.

Taipa Village across the sea in Macao is a feast for the senses - the smell of pork chop buns, and Portuguese egg tarts, and the buzz of snaking queues weaving into the next.

But take a few steps away from the street stalls to the restaurants and the mood shifts to a more sombre tone.

"They're promoting the sort of very accessible travels. So, these days, Macau is known as a street food city. It's easy to find, it's concentrated," said owner of La Famiglia, Florita Morais Alves.

"For a small restaurant like us, we will find a lot of difficulties."

Hong Kong went all out with a hefty US$250 million budget, to draw visitors back.

With mainlanders forming 80 per cent of visitor arrivals, the city is counting on them to revive its vital tourist trade.

"Overall, we're quite happy with the spending,” said Mr Cheng.

However, he noted that spending on cosmetics is decreasing, which marks a “very significant change”, particularly for a big country like mainland China.

“Online shopping is becoming so popular. We need to adapt ourselves to make changes to see the new trend,” he said.