Hong Kong faces uphill battle to lure back Chinese tourists

HONG KONG – The Lo Wu arrival hall on Hong Kong’s border used to throng with visitors during mainland China’s “Golden Week”, but as the five-day tourism bonanza kicked off on Wednesday, the queues there were modest.

Mainland Chinese visitors have historically been the lifeblood of Hong Kong’s retail and services sectors, spending on everything from basic goods like baby formula to luxury handbags and upscale restaurants — helping to shape the city’s economy in the process.

But after three years of Covid isolation, and before that a year of sometimes violent pro-democracy protests — not to mention the growing appeal of fast-developing mainland cities — Hong Kong has lost its shine for many Chinese tourists and is a long way from regaining its go-to status, observers say.

Local authorities had hoped one million people would cross the border on May 1, the start of the traditional “Golden Week” boom time for Hong Kong’s tourism and retail sectors, but the crowds at Lo Wu were moderate…