Cost-conscious Chinese tourists have replaced many of the cash-rich mainland travelers who once flocked to Hong Kong, with some only interested in free walking tours of the city and staying across the border in Shenzhen overnight to save money.
During China's Labour Day holiday last week, Laura Li, 28, and her cousin Diego Deng, 20, from northeastern Liaoning province, were among the younger visitors to Hong Kong who preferred to follow walking guides on social media rather than join tour groups or shop in luxury stores.
Underscoring the now cost-conscious new type of mainland tourist, Li and her cousin opted to stay in a hotel in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, just across the border, and travel back to Hong Kong to take in the sights during the day.
