When Tourism Success Goes Wrong

HONG KONG – It’s the gift that keeps on giving. For over a decade, mainland Chinese tourists have been dropping billions of dollars a year on luxury handbags, watches, and electronics in Hong Kong, undeniably stimulating the city's economy. But they've also made the city more crowded and expensive than ever. Many Hong Kongers are starting to wish the gift wouldn’t give quite so much, and some are demanding the government stem the tide.

Last year, the former British colony, which has a land area slightly smaller than New York City, received 28 million mainland visitors, nearly one-quarter more than a year earlier. Counting other countries, this city of 7 million had a whopping 42 million visitors in 2011, nearly double the population of Australia. Half of those stayed overnight, the World Tourism Organization’s definition of a tourist. The growth in mainland arrivals shows no signs of slowing, jumping 23 percent to 23 million in the first eight months this year compared to the same period a year earlier.