(Reporting By Donny Kwok; Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Miral Fahmy) Government data shows visitor numbers to Hong Kong declined 40 % YoY in 2015 , the first fall in over a decade , driven by a drop Chinese tourists , who account for almost three - quarters of all visitors to Hong Kong . Ricky Tse , Chairman of the Hong Kong Inbound Tour Operators Association , told Reuters he expects the downward trend to continue in 2016 , as the strong Hong Kong dollar makes other Asian destinations such as Japan and South Korea comparatively cheaper . Chinese tourist groups to Hong Kong fell by 40 % in 2015 and could fall as much as 60 % in the first half of this year ; and a move away from pure shopping trips may hurt retailers , particularly at the luxury end ; a jewellery chain expects to close up to six stores this fiscal year .
Government data shows visitor numbers to Hong Kong declined 40 % YoY in 2015 , the first fall in over a decade , driven by a drop Chinese tourists , who account for almost three - quarters of all visitors to Hong Kong . Ricky Tse , Chairman of the Hong Kong Inbound Tour Operators Association , told Reuters he expects the downward trend to continue in 2016 , as the strong Hong Kong dollar makes other Asian destinations such as Japan and South Korea comparatively cheaper . Chinese tourist groups to Hong Kong fell by 40 % in 2015 and could fall as much as 60 % in the first half of this year ; and a move away from pure shopping trips may hurt retailers , particularly at the luxury end ; a jewellery chain expects to close up to six stores this fiscal year .