#大湾区寻宝 #
Recently, more and more people have come to Hong Kong for tourism. A large number of mainland tourists have poured into Hong Kong!
According to data released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board on March 15, after the official customs clearance on February 6, 2023, the number of visitors to Hong Kong soared to 1.46 million, exceeding one million in a single month for the first time in three years, and about 1.09 million tourists from the mainland (accounting for about 75%). Apart from independent tourists, 54,913 persons entered Hong Kong through 1,842 registered Mainland tour groups.
Just talking about numbers may not have any concept for everyone, the editor specifically gives examples of a few recent news.
On the luxury street of Canton Road, you can already see many tourists coming to consume, and there is a long queue outside the store:
The street of Shangshui Pharmacy is full of mainland tourists dragging suitcases to buy:
To Kwa Wan, which is only a 30-40 minute drive from Lok Ma Chau, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the airport and other ports, has recently been crowded by mainland tourists.
Located in Chong'an Street, To Kwa Wan, the "Ka Lok Xuan" restaurant must be crowded around lunch every day:
It is said that this restaurant specializes in mainland tourists, and it has only been reopening for half a month, and there is an endless stream of tourist buses outside the door. It has been observed that more than 60 buses came to see off guests in one morning, receiving more than 2,000 mainland tourists. At its busiest, more than 20 Asir were even alerted to maintain order.
The arrival of mainland tourists has made Hong Kong lively, and the whole Hong Kong is also paying attention to mainland tourists, and recently many news have been on the hot search in Hong Kong!
Low-priced tours on the mainland have caused controversy
Early last month, an image on social media went viral. Mainland tour groups lined up outside a two-way hotel in To Kwa Wan. Tourists eat directly on the side of the street, squat or stand on the side of the road to eat.
Looking at the past from a distance, the entire street is full of mainland tourists wearing red hats, and there are about 30 people.
Some netizens in the comment area pointed out, "Shouldn't it be pitted by a travel agency?" That's not how money is earned."
According to Hong Kong media investigations, the itinerary documents of this tour group clearly wrote: the main meal standard is less than 80 Hong Kong dollars / person, and the breakfast meal is less than 60 Hong Kong dollars / person. As a result, an 80 yuan lunch becomes a 30 yuan street box lunch in seconds...
A similar incident occurred in the same month.
Earlier this month, a photo circulated online showing dozens of mainland tourists with tour group number plates standing on the side of the street or sitting on a flower platform eating cup noodles near a public toilet in Repulse Bay.
Nearby neighborhood citizens also have a headache about this, a row of people and cars jammed on the road to affect traffic, and eating on the street is not hygienic.
But this time, everyone did not blame the tourists, but pointed out that the travel agency was not authentic!
The owner of a nearby shop complained: "A box lunch is up to thirty or forty yuan, a bowl of noodles is ten yuan up and down, the tour group makes money doing this, but people come to travel to pay the tour fee, there is no reason to ask a group of people to eat along the street, I really think the group is friendly and pitiful!" ”
As a result, the Tourism Industry Authority did not wait for complaints from mainland tourists, but received complaints from Hong Kong citizens.
The relevant departments immediately followed up with the licensed travel agents in charge of reception and sent personnel to inspect the locations of Mainland tour group activities. The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Yeung Yun-hung, also came out to express his position that he would attach importance to and seriously handle relevant issues.
Black-hearted merchants pit tourists attract attention
There are more and more tourists, and it is inevitable that some black-hearted businesses will take advantage of this "black".
In early March, Customs received a report of an unannounced visit to a pharmacy in Tsim Sha Tsui. The police officer disguised as a customer said that he wanted to buy a pound of ginseng, and the price was 980 yuan / jin.
As a result, I didn't expect this store to be so "unceremonious", but I saw the clerk quickly slice and replace it with "two", and the price soared to 15,680 pounds in an instant, a full 16 times higher.
This can be regarded as a stolen and gained...
In mid-March, a mainland tourist strayed into the "two-change" trap of a merchant while spending at a pharmacy in Jordan.
Tourists thought that the Golden Saint Fruit was calculated in "two", with an estimated total amount of more than 1,000 yuan. However, the clerk grinded the golden sacred fruit into powder before the customer agreed to the purchase, and only after the completion was told that it was calculated by "money" and sold for more than 10,000 yuan, and finally forced the victim to buy it for 5,000 yuan.
After receiving the tourist's report, the customs immediately dispatched to arrest the clerk in the pharmacy involved and take it away for investigation.
So, please remember that Hong Kong absolutely prohibits such black trading and there are ways to complain!
The above acts are offences under the Ordinance and are liable on conviction to a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for 5 years.
Mainland tourists are fined for illegal smoking
While encouraging the protection of legitimate rights and interests, friends from the mainland should also learn more about Hong Kong's laws and regulations.
A few days ago, a netizen posted a video of his father holding a paper fine slip with a fine of 2,000 Hong Kong dollars.
It turned out that the father, who was in his 70s, did not know the "Hong Kong hotel completely smoke-free" rule, smoked in the guest room, and was issued a ticket by the hotel. This amount is included in the final payment of the room rate.
And it should be noted that not only hotels, but all places in Hong Kong that are counted as indoor cannot smoke, and the violation will be fined 1500 Hong Kong dollars.
If you are a smoker, you must count clearly when entering Hong Kong, you must not bring more than 19 cigarettes into Hong Kong, otherwise the customs will impose a high tobacco tax on you!
Here the editor also reminds everyone to know more about local laws and regulations to avoid unhappy things.
There are more and more tourists, and Hong Kong has contributed money and efforts, and sincerely welcomes everyone. Both citizens and officials want everyone to have fun!