A million mainlanders heading to HK: tourism lawmaker
Tourism sector lawmaker Perry Yiu on Friday said he expects a million mainlanders to visit Hong Kong during the upcoming Mid-Autumn and National Day holiday. He told an RTHK programme that overall, the inbound tourist figure will reach 70 percent of the level in 2018. Yiu said about 90 percent of the city's hotel rooms have already been booked up. He brushed aside complaints from some mainlanders who say Hong Kong's hotel prices are too high and they would rather spend the night in Shenzhen. "The rent levels of hotel rooms on average haven't gone back to what they were before the pandemic, if we compare the same holiday," he said. "We need to understand that it'd be cheaper if you book early... Many people now go travelling on an ad-hoc basis and they book a hotel room as they go on their trip. For sure, the rent will be more expensive." Meanwhile, a catering sector representative said the trade is expecting around 20 percent more business than usual during the long weekend. Leung Chun-wah, who chairs the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, said the number of bookings made for Mid-Autumn Festival on Friday has gone back to pre-Covid levels.