Due to rising international air travel costs, particularly fuel surcharges, tourists from Hong Kong are choosing mainland China destinations like Guangzhou. This shift reflects a trend of prioritizing affordability and local connections.

Hong Kong traveller Mr Lau is among those turning to high-speed rail trips or flights to mainland China after being deterred from international air travel by rising costs, particularly fuel surcharges, within a month of the United States-Israel attack on Iran. The 34-year-old, who was travelling to Guangzhou with his wife for a three-day trip on Friday on a high-speed train, said he had done some calculations since airlines’ fuel surcharges had risen, noting that a return train trip between the....