China and Hong Kong reeling under huge wave of local tourists

Hong Kong…is struggling to cope with an influx of tourists. Partly because territorial disputes have discouraged Chinese from visiting Japan, Hong Kong authorities expect 20 percent more mainland tourists to visit during the eight-day holiday than a year ago. As many as 7.6 million people – more than Hong Kong’s population – are expected to cross the border during the period.

The domestic picture is no better. China’s top travel destinations welcomed 24 percent more tourists than a year earlier on Oct. 1…The number of visitors to the new Three Gorges dam on National Day was up by 250 percent year-on-year…The mass movement of people contributed to giant traffic jams across the country.