THE number of Chinese mainland tour groups visiting Hong Kong plunged about 80 percent in early March as rising anti-mainland sentiment and a series of protests deterred many from crossing the border.

    “We used to handle roughly 400 to 500 tours a day, but now it’s only over 100 per day. It happened between the end of February and the beginning of March,” said Paul Leung, chairman of The Hong Kong Inbound Travel Association.

    More than 40 million mainlanders visited the city last year, far outstripping the local population of 7.2 million.

    Hong Kong retailers’ sales in January were the lowest since 2003 and revenue growth this year will likely be the slowest in at least four years.

    Fifteen listed Hong Kong retailers with a market value of at least US$100 million, including Emperor Watch & Jewelry Ltd., the distributor of brands such as Rolex and Tag Heuer, are forecast to post 7.5 percent growth in combined revenue this fiscal year, according to Thomson Reuters data.

    That would be the slowest pace in the four years for which comparable data is available.

    “Hong Kong for a long time has been the shopping destination of choice for mainlanders, but there is a strong backlash and a perception of real negative sentiment toward them, turning a lot of mainlanders off,” said James Roy of China Market Research Group in Shanghai.

    The mainland’s anti-corruption crackdown dampened luxury spending and Chinese tourists are also looking to other destinations, drawn for example to Japan by a weak yen. They have been soured on Hong Kong by rising hostility among local residents, who accuse mainland tourists of driving up prices, clogging traffic and creating a nuisance, while pro-democracy protests stirred up anti-mainland sentiment.(SD-Agencies)