Lawmaker Vincent Cheng says tourists should be encouraged to extend their stay through improved package promotion.

Over the Labour Day Golden Week break, 1.2 million tourists came to Hong Kong, eight percent more than last year. About a million were from the mainland.

"We're talking about the mega events economy, and we're trying to promote tourism through packages such as the Mega 8 campaign in March and April, which promoted all mega events during the period all at once," he said on a radio programme.

"In the upcoming months, there are also some major football matches, so we will discuss with the government about how we are going to encourage tourists to stay for a few days more, whether it's through the ticket stub economy or rolling out packages that come with hotel accommodation and match tickets."

Speaking on the same programme, lawmaker Perry Yiu said hotel occupancy rates hit 90 percent during the period despite a slight increase in room prices.

The practice of coercive shopping, whereby tourists on cheap tour groups are forced to buy overpriced items at predetermined stores, had almost disappeared, he added.

Yiu also said those visiting Hong Kong were younger and more family-oriented. He said there needed to be greater collaboration among those in the tourism sector, as this demographic tended to want more in-depth experiences.


Edited by Robert Kemp