Hong Kong Tourism Commission said Tuesday that 415,466 mainland visitors arrived during the 10-day Golden Week period (from April 29 to May 8), representing an increase of 6 percent over the same period last year.

But the government had forecast about 420,000 mainland visitors over the 10-day period.

Analysts said it is largely because that an increasing proportion of mainland visitors choose not to visit Hong Kong during the peak seasons, fearing overcrowding.

Taking the visitors from Guangdong province as an example, it is very convenient for them to travel to Hong Kong, and hence they would prefer visiting Hong Kong during normal weekends so as to avoid the crowd and the surcharges for peak seasons.

In the preceding weekend of this Golden Week (May 5 to 7), the daily arrivals from mainland have increased by 19 percent on average. During March and the first two weeks of April, when there were not any major holidays, 1.12 million and 0.54 million mainland visitors were recorded, representing an increase of about 20 percent and 15 percent respectively as compared with the same period last year.

In addition, the Individual Visit Scheme is becoming more popular and has accounted for about half of the total mainland visitors since its first introduction in mid-July 2003. It is no longer necessary for mainlanders to plan trips to Hong Kong around the year's peak traveling period.

Another element that may account for the fall short of expectation is the competition for mainland visitors brought about by other destinations, analysts said.

As the mode of travel of mainland visitors becomes more mature, it is expected that the "Golden Week effect" will diminish gradually.

"This may be a good thing as Hong Kong might not be able to cater to the influx of mainland tourists if everyone arrived around the Golden Week holidays," a spokesman for the Tourism Commission said.

According to the Hong Kong Hotels Association, the average hotel rate has increased by 15 percent during the Golden Week and the average occupancy rate was around 85 percent.

"The adjustment of hotel rate in the peak seasons has reflected the supply and demand of the market. The hotel industry and travel agents should maintain close liaison. The most important thing is to work together to maintain smooth operation of the market mechanism," the spokesman said.

He believed that Hong Kong remains a popular destination for mainland visitors though facing challenges.

"We should not focus only on the short-term benefits of the Golden Week but should continue to make every effort to upgrade our service quality with a view to strengthening our competitive edge on long-term basis and attracting visitors to come again," the spokesman said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 10, 2006)