HONG KONG – Some industry players in Hong Kong’s tourism sector expect a bumper harvest over the upcoming Spring Festival holiday with double-digit growth in the number of customers.

The predictions come as the city beefs up efforts to attract visitors with a variety of events and celebrations. But tourism-industry veterans also warn that exchange rate and more travel options could undermine mainland people’s desire to spend the holiday in Hong Kong.

Henry Lee, marketing director of Big Line Holiday, said the travel agency has organized about 400 tour groups over the traditional festive period, representing a 20 percent year-on-year increase.

He attributed the growth partly to the lower transportation costs, which has made people more willing to travel. “Airline capacity has recovered this year, and the high-speed rail network has covered more places, which has in turn led to the reduction of travel prices,” Lee said.

Wong Kai-chung, manager of Fly Win Travel, said the company will focus on tours to the mainland during the Chinese New Year, such as popular winter tourist destinations in Northeast China, expecting the number of customers to rise 15 percent year-on-year.

The recent telecom-fraud case in Thailand has attracted much negative attention. Wong said even though Southeast Asia has traditionally been a popular tourist destination, many Hong Kong people may stay away from the country this year.

Lee, meanwhile, expressed a different view, saying there is no need to panic about traveling to Thailand as the fraud cases “are not targeting tourists”.

“All of the victims were abducted after booking a job,” he said, adding that 20 percent of the tour groups of his company head for Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. Groups to the mainland account for about 60 percent of bookings, and the remaining 20 percent make long-haul travel to places such as Türkiye, Spain, Portugal and Egypt.

“We are also considering adding more travel routes toward Saudi Arabia on the basis of previous ones because of the recent change of its visa policy,” he said.

Hong Kong passport holders now have visa-on-arrival access to the Middle Eastern country through six designated control points.

The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government has expressed optimism about a potential increase in visitors during the Spring Festival this year. The Hong Kong Tourism Board has launched a special Chinese New Year guide to highlight unique experiences and encourage visitors to explore the city during the festive season.

A long list of events and celebrations will be held to enhance the value of staying in Hong Kong, such as the Cathay International Chinese New Year Night Parade, fireworks display, horseracing, lantern carnival, and panda-themed attractions.

Fanny Yeung Shuk-fan, executive director of Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, said the tourism industry is optimistic about the number of visitors to Hong Kong during the Chinese New Year period because of the scheduled activities for the holiday and the convenience of traveling to Hong Kong from the Chinese mainland.

Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, forecast the turnover of catering industry during the Spring Festival to rise by 10 percent year-on-year, boosted by the multiple-entry individual visit program for Shenzhen residents. In addition, many mainland enterprises or institutions came to Hong Kong for business last year, bringing with them a lot of spring banquets, which is projected to drive the catering industry, he added.

While predicting that mainland travelers will continue to form the majority of Hong Kong tourist arrivals, Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, also cautioned that the performance of the hotel industry could be affected by the exchange rate and increasing options for travel.

“With the strong Hong Kong dollar against the yuan and the growing number of visa-free travel programs available for mainland travelers, many of them are exploring international destinations. So the hotel industry is not expected to see a significant increase in overnight guests during the Spring Festival holiday period compared to previous years,” he said.

Clooddy Zong, a retired Hong Kong resident aged over 70, said as he stood outside a travel agency in Wai Chai: “I plan to go for a trip during the Spring Festival, but I still need to consider what products travel agencies have. That’s why I am here.”

As a previous risk manager at a hospital, Zong loves travel in retirement, maintaining a frequency of two to three journeys on average each year.

“Overseas travel could be a good choice for Hong Kong residents, especially for those who do not have a home return permit,” Zong said.

Home return permit, formally known as the Mainland Travel Permit for Hong Kong and Macao Residents, is a travel permit issued to Chinese citizens with permanent residency in Hong Kong and Macao for traveling to the mainland.

Simon So Ka-shing, a Hong Kong engineer who has been living in the city for 20 years, said he plans to return to his hometown in Guangdong province over the upcoming holiday period.

So said he mainly travels to destinations in Asia, such as the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. He also expressed his unwillingness to travel to Thailand.

Contact the writer at thor_wu@chinadailyhk.com