Hongkongers increase cross-border shopping splurges, spending data shows

Price differentials, changing consumer habits make mainland China a ‘major hotspot’ for Hongkongers’ spending, UnionPay International says Passengers cross the border via Shenzhen Bay Control Point in Hong Kong on June 17. Photo: Jelly Tse Even as local retail spending remains resilient, Hong Kong consumers are shopping more across the border in mainland China, drawn by lower prices and wider adoption of digital payments, according to data from payment giant UnionPay International. Offline UnionPay card spending in mainland China by Hong Kong residents rose nearly 30 per cent year on year in the first half of 2026, while online and digital transactions recorded even stronger growth, data released on Thursday showed. The trend reflected deepening integration of the consumer markets in Hong Kong and mainland China, supported by seamless digital payments, improved connectivity and increasingly cross-border lifestyles across the Greater Bay Area . “Mainland China remains a major hotspot, driven by price differentials and changing consumer habits,” said Roger Lee, vice-president for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan at UnionPay International. Yet the company also remained “cautiously optimistic about local consumption”, he added, citing a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in Hong Kong offline spending through June. To further tap cross-border demand, UnionPay announced an arrangement allowing Hong Kong residents to enjoy China’s national consumer goods trade-in subsidy programme. Hong Kong shoppers travelling to the mainland could now receive government subsidies of up to 20,000 yuan (US$2,954) without needing to open a mainland bank account or obtain a mainland mobile phone number, the company said. People walk at the MixC shopping mall in Nanshan, Shenzhen, on July 1. Photo: May Tse The initiative would lower barriers for Hong Kong consumers looking to participate in mainland consumption incentives while creating new opportunities for cross-border spending, Lee said. Meanwhile, overseas travel spending by Hong Kong residents recorded a slight decline during the first six months of 2026, which Lee attributed to higher travel costs and geopolitical uncertainty. “Overseas spending saw a slight dip in the first half, primarily due to higher airline fuel surcharges that increased flight costs, as well as lingering geopolitical tensions in regions such as the Middle East that prompted some travellers to adopt a wait-and-see approach,” Lee said. Northeast Asia remained the most popular destination for Hong Kong travellers, accounting for more than 80 per cent of overseas transactions, with Japan, South Korea, Macau and Taiwan among the leading destinations. Looking ahead, UnionPay International expected an improving outlook. Unhandled type: inline-plus-widget {"type":"inline-plus-widget"} “We expect overseas outbound spending to recover and all cross-border [spending] corridors to resume an upwards trajectory in the second half,” Lee said.