Mainland Chinese travellers likely to avoid Hong Kong over long National Day holiday because of its unrest. The image and tourism in Hong Kong is hurt.

With mainland Chinese travellers likely to avoid Hong Kong over the long National Day holidays this week due to planned protests in the city, the downtrend in retail sales in the Special Administrative Region is set to continue without any light at the end of the tunnel.

Travel agents said the number of Chinese tours has dropped by up to 30 percent, boding ill for the busy Golden Week holiday that starts on Oct. 1, usually a busy period that retailers rely on for a boost to their sales.

Already hurt by Beijing's anti-corruption campaign, which has led Chinese visitors to tighten lavish spending in the city renowned as a shoppers' paradise, Hong Kong businesses are also facing a slide in the number of tour groups. 

Dean of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) Kaye Chon commented on Tuesday: “I’m sure that political unrest will definitely affect tourism arrivals because it’s all about image.”

Despite these dire predictions, Hong Kong hit a record high in terms of tourist satisfaction according to the PolyU tourist satisfaction poll. The school polled 1,693 tourists from six major markets last year.

It found visitors have become increasingly satisfied with their visits to Hong Kong with a 2013 satisfaction index of 75.96 points versus to 72.65 points in the schools inaugural 2009 index.