Weekends in Shenzhen: Hong Kong economy hit by neighbor's growing allure

Financial hub's retailers 'worried' as their customers flock to mainland instead

20231208 hk shenzhen

A couple in Hong Kong looks across the mainland border at the skyscrapers of Shenzhen in June 2022. Visitor traffic from Hong Kong to Shenzhen now far exceeds movement in the other direction. © Reuters

PAK YIU, Nikkei staff writer

SHENZHEN, China -- Residents of Hong Kong are flocking to the neighboring mainland city of Shenzhen to shop, dine and spend their weekends, posing a new challenge for their own city's economic recovery.

Hong Kongers heading north to Shenzhen outnumber mainland tourists heading in the other direction after China relaxed its border controls following three years of tight pandemic restrictions. The imbalance is straining Hong Kong's small and midsize businesses -- a problem the city's government appears to have recognized.

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