Chinese mainland visitors to Hong Kong fell almost 10 percent in July, compared to last July. In contrast, Japan National Tourism Organization said 576,900 Chinese mainlanders visited Japan in July, more than double July of last year. One teacher, Song Xiaomeng, from Shanghai was quoted as saying, “Hong Kong seems less appealing to us partly due to the lingering anti-mainland sentiment and its lack of new tourist attractions,”
The Hong Kong Tourism Board hopes to shift the tide by staging a number of big events to highlight Hong Kong, including the “Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival” in late October and “Hong Kong Winter Fest” in December.