Chinese tourists' overnight stays at McDonald's HK go viral on social

McDonald's Hong Kong stores have seen an influx of Chinese tourists sleeping on couches and lying on tables during the just concluded Chinese Labour Day Golden Week holiday, with related images and videos going viral on social media.  

This reflects that an increasing number of Chinese tourists opted for budget tours in Hong Kong, while staying overnight at a 24/7 McDonald's store could help save up their hotel costs. According to SCMP, Chinese visitors to Hong Kong preferred low-budget tours to Hong Kong which cost as little as RMB$68 over the Labour Day Golden Week holiday, raising concerns about how such minimal spending by tourists benefits the local economy.

On 1 May, some netizens posted on Threads about discovering a large group of mainland tourists spending the night at a 24/7 McDonald's in Mong Kok, rather than staying in hotels.

In one of the posts seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a netizen shared two photos showing a group of travellers with luggage occupying a McDonald's seating area at 6am. Some had McDonald's food, while others had only outside drinks, and several were seen sleeping on the tables. 

“If you don't have enough money to travel and end up having to sleep in McDonald's... perhaps it's better not to go. It leaves no seats for customers who want to dine in (其實無錢去旅行搞到要瞓麥當勞…... 不如唔好去啦 搞到要堂食既人根本無位坐…...),"the post reads. 

The post has received over 570,000 views, 10,000 likes and 840 comments. Some netizens reported witnessing similar situations at the same McDonald's at 4 am, while some suggested McDonald's should cancel overnight operations during mainland Chinese holidays.

Furthermore, HK01 reported that approximately 50 people stayed overnight at a McDonald's on Peking Road in Tsim Sha Tsui one evening during the Labour Day Golden Week.

On the other hand, several Chinese netizens have discussed the issue of overnight stays in McDonald’s Hong Kong on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. A check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw that some netizens asked is it discourteous to sleep overnight in McDonald's when travelling to Hong Kong during the Golden Week holiday on Xiaohongshu. While some found a night or two acceptable, noting that homeless individuals also stay overnight, others argued that while a few people might be okay, groups of 30-40 spread across multiple locations would be disruptive and impolite.

The incident has garnered over 500 mentions across social platforms, according to media intelligence firm CARMA, leading to an increase in negative sentiment surrounding McDonald's Hong Kong from 31.8% to 41.4%%, while positive sentiment fell from 10.6% to 8.4%.

The incident sparked debate over “grassroots travel” culture and the city’s readiness to handle low-cost tourism, according to CARMA. Many reacted with a mix of sympathy and criticism, some expressed concern over the rising cost of accommodation in Hong Kong pushing budget travellers to sleep in McDonald’s, while others criticised the practice as inappropriate and disruptive. Keywords generated include "staying overnight" (過夜), "luggage" (行李), "saving money" (省錢) and “occupying” (霸佔).

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to McDonald’s for a statement.

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Addressing concerns about Hong Kong's capacity for Mainland tourists, including the trend of low-budget travellers staying overnight at McDonald's, chief executive John Lee said on Tuesday (6 May) that Hong Kong welcomes both high-end and non-high-end visitors. He stressed the importance of ensuring an enjoyable and welcoming experience for all tourists.

“Anything, which we do to make any sector of tourists feel that they are not being welcomed, will be harmful to the overall image of Hong Kong as a tourist city,” Lee said. 

He added that the government will task the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and related departments with summarising their experiences from this Golden Week and working with relevant industries to enhance travellers' positive experiences.

During the five-day Golden Week holiday, around 1.1 million tourists visited Hong Kong, a 22% increase year-on-year. Mainland tourist arrivals increased by about 20%, and non-mainland arrivals by about 30%. In terms of single-day arrivals, the peak for Mainland tourists was 2 May, with 267,000 visitors, an increase of around 40% year-on-year.

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