Hongkongers opt for mainland Chinese tours during Easter amid Middle East war

More Hongkongers have chosen to head north to Mainland China during the Easter holiday amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East that has disrupted air traffic, an industry leader has said.Hong Kong Tourism Association executive director Timothy Chui Ting-pong said the number of outbound tour groups to the mainland during Easter rose 30 per cent year on year.He noted particularly strong growth in long-haul tours, such as those to the provinces of Guizhou, Hunan and Hubei.“The local economy has improved, and people have more disposable income, so many are planning to travel,” Chui told a radio programme on Friday.“Some may originally have planned to visit Europe or the Middle East, but given the current situation in those regions and the tight availability of flights to Europe, quite a number of customers eventually reconsidered and switched their plans to head to the mainland instead.”Chui expected overall outbound travel during the Easter holiday to be higher than last year.