下周一开始，内地居民可在全国办理赴港澳团队旅游签注、探亲、工作和学习等证件，这将为香港带来更多内地游客，香港各行各业将因此受惠，正在复苏中的香港经济将增添动力。对香港来说，不再担忧客源问题，真正的问题是如何全面提升接待能力，如何适应旅游业发展的新业态，如何进一步强化香港旅游业的竞争力。

　　自年初两地恢复通关后，内地游客数量持续增长。刚过去的五一长假，香港共接待62.5万内地游客，本港餐饮、零售、酒店等行业因此畅旺。但凡事有两面，游客多了，“幸福的烦恼”随之而来，那就是本地接待能力显得不足。毕竟过去三年疫情期间，本港旅游业呈冰封状态，相关人手、交通、餐饮服务等方面要复原到疫情前的规模并非一蹴而就，亦因此出现了一些小摩擦，譬如某区域食肆前大排长龙，为当地居民的生活带来不便。不少内地客将游港经历放在社交平台上，有弹有赞。反映了香港社会仍未完全适应对内地游客重来的客观事实。

　　对香港来说，最大的挑战还不是提升接待能力，而是适应旅游业的新业态。过去，五一长假又叫做五一“黄金周”，而现在，五一长假的“含金量”似乎褪色。正如不少人注意到的那样，内地客来港后不再如以往那样“挥金如土”，尖沙咀、铜锣湾、中环等购物胜地不再像以往那样人头簇拥，更多的内地客来港并非单纯为了“血拼”，而是为了多元体验，可能去行山、去离岛观光，或者在咖啡店、书店度过一个悠閒的下午。换句话说，内地游客旅游方式发生了巨大变化。

　　内地客消费模式出现改变，其实不足为奇。一方面，中国早已成为全球最大的游客输出地，内地客周游世界，随着见闻的增长，过去的简单观光模式不再，多了文化内涵，更喜欢深度旅游；另一方面，全球大企业都在争夺中国市场，西方名牌、奢侈品店在内地大城市开到成行成市，甚至扩张到二线、三线城市。加上海南发展自由贸易港，各省市竞相发展自由贸易区，可以免税购物，香港“不打税”的价格优势逐渐消失。更何况，网购大行其道，只要是看上眼的，一键搞掂，直接送货上门，免却了肩扛手提的麻烦。

　　香港仍然是“购物天堂”，但今后不能再独沽购物一味，依赖卖、卖、卖就能发达的“躺赢”时代已然过去，香港旅游业必须适应新形势，形成独特优质的旅游环境，才能吸引回头客。香港并不缺少这方面的优质资源，单是香港的好山好水就是取之不尽的天然资源，香港的多元文化也有足够吸引力，关键是特区政府、业界加强合作，做好相关规划和配套服务。

　　近日有舆论提及香港需要“高端游客”，这涉及到如何看待低价旅游团的问题。内地旅游团的不少成员是长者，他们大多靠退休金生活，比较节省；即使是收入较高的自由行游客，也未必都是大手大脚消费。来者都是客，不管是出手疏爽的豪客，还是入店只买一些药油、奶粉的一般客人，都应该一视同仁，丰俭由人才是正确的态度，正如一间食肆不会拒绝只买一杯饮料的客人一样。香港是文明城市，是好客的城市，香港社会应该展现出这样雍容大度和温度。宾至如归，这才是游客生意长做长有的成功之道。

Adapting ourselves to the new situation facing tourism to sharpen Hong Kong's competitive edge

　　From the coming Monday, Mainland residents nationwide can apply for entry permits to Hong Kong and Macao for group tours, to visit relatives, work or study. This will bring more Mainland tourists to Hong Kong, which will benefit various business sectors in the SAR and increase the impetus for Hong Kong's economy in recovery. Hong Kong no longer has to worry about the source of visitors. The real problem now is how to comprehensively improve our capacity to receive visitors, how to adapt ourselves to the new situation facing the development of tourism, and how to further sharpen the competitive edge of Hong Kong's tourism.

　　Since the full resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and Mainland early this year, the number of visitors from the Mainland has kept growing steadily. During the past May Day long holiday, Hong Kong had received 625,000 Mainland tourists, and as a result local catering, retail and hotel businesses became flourishing. But every coin has two sides. Together with the arrival of more tourists comes "the trouble with happiness". That is, the inadequacy of our capacity to receive visitors is highlighted. After all, as Hong Kong's tourism has been in a frozen state during the past three years amid the Covid-19 epidemic, it is not possible for services in sectors such as manpower, transport and catering to resume normalcy at one stroke. Because of this, there had happened some minor frictions. For example, Mainland tourists waited in a long queue at a restaurant in a certain district, bringing some inconvenience to local residents. Some Mainland tourists have uploaded their Hong Kong-tour experiences onto social media platforms with praises and criticisms. All this shows Hong Kong society has yet to fully adjust itself to the objective fact that Mainland tourists are now coming back to town.

　　For Hong Kong, the biggest challenge lies in how to adapt itself to the new situation facing tourism rather than how to upgrade its capacity to receive tourists. In the past, the May Day long holiday was also called the May Day "golden week". But now the "gold content" of the May Day long holiday seems to have decreased. As many people may have noticed, Mainland visitors coming to Hong Kong no longer "spend money like water" as in the past, and shopping centres such as Tsim Sha Tsui, Causeway Bay and Central are no longer jam-packed with tourists. More Mainland visitors coming to Hong Kong are not for shopping but for a variety of experiences such as to go hiking or sight-seeing in Outlying Islands, or to spend a leisurely afternoon in a coffee shop or bookstore. In other words, Mainland tourists' modus operandi in tourism has undergone a dramatic change.

　　It is no surprise, in fact, that Mainland visitors have changed their modus operandi in tourism. On the one hand, China has already become the world's largest outbound tourist market. As Mainland tourists travel worldwide, their knowledge and information grow. Hence their modus operandi in tourism is no longer limited to simple sight-seeing as in the past but gains cultural connotation and fondness for in-depth travel. On the other hand, big enterprises all over the world are competing for the Chinese market. Shops of Western famous-brand products and luxuries have been opened one after another in big Mainland cities and even expanded to second-tier and third-tier cities. In addition, Hainan is developing into a free trade port and provinces and municipalities are competing to develop their own free trade zones, which all offer duty free shopping. Hence Hong Kong is losing its advantage of "no taxation" pricing. Moreover, online shopping now is very popular. When someone wants to buy something, a click on the keyboard would strike a deal and the item would be delivered to their door, saving the trouble to carry it personally.

　　While still remaining a "shopping paradise", Hong Kong from now on cannot rely on shopping alone. Gone are the days when Hong Kong could make a fortune in a breeze by selling, selling and selling. Hong Kong's tourism must adapt itself to the new situation to create a unique, good-quality environment for tourism. Only in this way can Hong Kong lure repeat visitors. Hong Kong does not lack for good-quality resources. Hong Kong's beautiful mountains and waters alone are inexhaustible natural resources. Hong Kong's plural culture also has sufficient attractiveness. The crux of the matter lies in that the SAR Government and industries concerned strengthen their cooperation to well work out relevant plans and launch supporting services.

　　Recently, public opinion has it that Hong Kong needs "high-end travelers". Here a problem how to view budget group tours　　is concerned. Many members of Mainland group tours are elderly people. Most of them live on their pensions and thus are relatively more careful in spending money. Even individual tourists with relatively higher incomes are not all who would spend money extravagantly. Whoever comes is a guest. Both spendthrifts willing to spend money generously and regular customers coming to a shop just to buy some medicated oil or milk powder should be treated equally without discrimination. It is up to the customers whether to spend big or little money ─ that's a correct attitude, just like a restaurant would not turn away a customer who just wants to buy a drink. Hong Kong is a civilised city and a hospitable city. Hong Kong society should show such gracious generosity and warmth. Making guests feel at home - it is the way of success for tourism-related businesses to last long.