Hong Kong residents’ surge of interest in travel to the Chinese mainland is prompting tourism service providers to update offerings with more domestic attractions, according to exhibitors attending the Hong Kong Holiday and Travel Expo 2025 Autumn on Friday.

Organized by the Exhibition Group, the three-day expo at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre has drawn more than 300 exhibitors, including airlines, travel agencies, and tourism promotion authorities.

A highlight of this year’s exhibition is the wide range of offerings designed to help Hong Kong residents explore mainland destinations — including neighboring Guangdong province, the scenic prairies of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, and the snow-themed routes of Northeast China.

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Exhibitors cited a mix of factors, including a strong Hong Kong dollar and greater interest in domestic destinations, that prompted them to adjust their offerings.

Kitty Lo, chairwoman and CEO of Wealth Group Holding Ltd, which organizes property investment tours to the mainland for Hong Kong residents, said the demand has surged in recent years.

“Our clients, typically aged 50 to 70, are driven by the appeal of an affordable retirement on the mainland,” she said, adding that the property prices in mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are sometimes only one-tenth of those in Hong Kong.

Capitalizing on new infrastructure like the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, which has cut travel time, the company launched a special tour to Zhongshan this year. These tours blend property viewings with sightseeing and local cuisine to attract customers. “Hong Kong residents are drawn to scenic views and good food, which we leverage to make our products more appealing,” Lo said.

She said she is optimistic about the upcoming peak season in October and November, a period with a range of holidays, including the National Day holiday on Oct 1.

However, improved connectivity within the Greater Bay Area is making it easier for people to travel independently, bypassing agencies and creating headwinds for business expansion, which Lo admitted is a key challenge for the industry.

A sales representative from Chimelong Group’s Hong Kong office, who gave only her surname, Chan, reported a 20 percent year-on-year increase in visitors from Hong Kong and Macao to their resorts in the first eight months of the year.

The company operates wildlife and marine-themed resorts in several Guangdong cities, including Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Qingyuan.

Chan attributed the surge to improved connectivity and a 2023 policy that allows Hong Kong visitors to drive to mainland cities via the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.

“The strong Hong Kong dollar and the emerging trend of residents traveling north to spend have also benefited our business,” she added.

To capitalize on this trend, the company has introduced special ticket packages for parents and children, as families are a major customer segment. The company has high hopes for the Hong Kong and Macao markets during the upcoming peak season, she said.

The growing appeal of mainland scenic areas has prompted airlines to increase the number of its direct flights from Hong Kong. In April, Hong Kong Airlines launched a new direct service to Hulunbuir, joining existing carriers on the route to the city in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region.

Fu Shen, CEO of Aixing aviation service company, an air ticket sales agent based in Inner Mongolia, said demand from Hong Kong sightseers has surged in recent years, driven by the region’s ethnic culture and unique activities like horseback riding, wrestling, and archery.

“The surging demand led to the decision to add more flights, which are almost fully booked,” he said, highlighting the route’s popularity. He added that the company participated as a first-time exhibitor at the expo to further promote Hulunbuir’s reputation.

For retiree Leung, 73, the allure of travel remains strong. While browsing leaflets for discounted trips to Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang province, she said that although she has no immediate plans, she is always on the lookout for her next adventure. A retiree for eight years, Leung describes herself as a lifelong travel enthusiast whose journeys have expanded from nearby Guangdong to far-flung destinations in North America and Africa.

She is now increasingly drawn to scenic areas on the mainland, citing their beauty and affordability. Jiuzhaigou, a natural park in Sichuan province renowned for its crystal-clear, colorful lakes, majestic waterfalls, and pristine forest ecosystems, and Suzhou in Jiangsu province are among her favorites, with Harbin and Zhangjiajie in Hunan province planned for the next 12 months.

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Despite her enthusiasm, Leung admits that the digital shift in travel presents a hurdle. “Everything is going online,” she said, expressing a common challenge among older travelers. “I am often baffled by car-hailing apps and online payments.”

The mutual tourism appeal between Hong Kong and the mainland will be further highlighted during the upcoming National Day Golden Week, which is an eight-day break in the mainland.

The Hong Kong government projects that about 8.76 million border crossings will take place from Oct 1-8.

Contact the writer at lilei@chinadailyhk.com