Hong Kong among top destinations for mainland Chinese tourists during ‘golden week’ break

Hong Kong is among the top destinations for mainland Chinese visitors for the coming National Day “golden week”, state media has said, while tourism industry leaders have attributed the city’s appeal to its strong transport network.

Popular destinations in Asia included Bangkok in Thailand, Seoul in South Korea, Osaka in Japan and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, according to state broadcaster CCTV which examined outbound flight ticket orders from various travel platforms.

The media outlet said on Monday mainland travellers could fly to the destinations in five hours or less.

But Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said the city had an edge over other places as a destination for mainland tourists, thanks to its convenient transport network including frequent flights and high-speed rail.

“The number of flights from the mainland to the city exceeds those to other destinations,” he said.