“People in Hong Kong often talk about attracting quality tourists, but our mainland Chinese compatriots feel very uncomfortable,” Lau said.
The report cited “negative public opinion” and anti-government protests in 2019 as reasons for fluctuations in the number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting the city over the past decade.
“Social divisions, resentment and persistent stereotypes and discrimination against mainland Chinese make tourists feel uncomfortable and are targets for locals’ anger,” Lau said.
“This will affect their experience and impression of Hong Kong.”
The report stressed that China is promoting domestic tourism development and striving to become a major global tourist destination.
He added that tourism is a means of cross-border exchange and Hong Kong and Macau should focus on tourist satisfaction.
Professor Lau Siu-kai, adviser to the China Hong Kong and Macau Studies Association, said Hong Kong needed to do more to make ordinary mainland Chinese tourists feel welcome. Photo: Xiaomei Chen
Lau said the report aims to provide “good-faith, constructive advice to Hong Kong”.
He added that the proposal had little to do with the Hong Kong government’s work and focused on the city’s social and cultural atmosphere.
Lau said tackling Hong Kong’s tourism problem required a concerted government and society effort to encourage mainland Chinese visitors to relax in hotels and avoid spending money at expensive shops.
Tourism officials, industry leaders and lawmakers have frequently spoken about the need to attract “quality tourists” with big budgets since Hong Kong’s borders reopened after the coronavirus pandemic and the city found that the habits of previously guaranteed high-spending mainland Chinese tourists had changed.
The latest example came on Wednesday at a Legislative Council meeting, when Legislator Carrie Lam questioned Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Yeung Wan Hung about developing luxury experiences for wealthy tourists.
Yen said the tourism department plans to adopt a multi-pronged strategy to attract high-spending tourists to the city, enhance their experience and encourage them to extend their stay and spend more.
The academy’s report said Macau topped the list of mainland Chinese tourist satisfaction ratings in the first quarter of this year, scoring 83.49 points, while Hong Kong came in seventh with 81.77 points.
Hong Kong ranked fifth overall for 2023, while Macau came in third.
The report did not reveal the other top cities, but a separate report released by the academy in April listed Suzhou, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Kunming, Chongqing, Qingdao, Xi’an, Nanjing, Beijing and Shenyang as the cities with the highest visitor satisfaction in the country in 2023.
Hong Kong and Macau were not included on the April list.
Alan Zeman, an entertainment mogul and government tourism adviser, said Macau’s tourism industry has become much more competitive in recent years since it diversified its economy away from gambling.
Zeman added that Macau’s government goal of generating 60 percent of the city’s gross domestic product from non-gambling sources by 2028 is forcing casinos to invest in alternative entertainment.
Macau’s six major casino companies agreed in December 2022 to invest 118.8 billion patacas ($14.78 billion) in non-gambling businesses over the next 10 years after their licenses are renewed.
Zeman, who is also chairman and independent director of Wynn Macau Resort, said Macau operators are keen to introduce the right kind of entertainment and “it’s getting better and better.”
“Macau is becoming an exciting city. New artists are coming every week and putting on shows. There’s no competition for us. We don’t have that,” he said.
“And of course, the casinos make a lot of money, so they can keep coming up with new things and keep reinventing themselves. Macau suddenly became a really fun place.”
