HONG KONG, July 5 Reuters An increase in the dutyfree quota for Chinese tourists to Hong Kong may go some way to support the city39;s retailers, but visitors from the mainland say prices are still unattractive.

From expanding the solo travel scheme for Chinese visitors to Hong Kong in May to bumping up the dutyfree shopping quota, the China and Hong Kong governments are striving to lure tourists from across the border.

This comes as Hong Kong residents increasingly flock to the mainland for shopping and entertainment, saying prices there are generally lower and the service is better, and the Asia financial hub struggles to recover after the pandemic.

Starting from July 1, the dutyfree shopping quotas for Chinese tourists in Hong Kong were increased from 5,000 yuan 688 per trip to 15,000 yuan for those visiting via six land border control points.

The new measure will be expanded to include Chinese visitors entering Hong Kong at all border control points from Aug. 1.

The government said it expects the measure to bring additional shopping spending of between HK8.8 billion 1.13 billion and HK17.6 billion to the city.

Annie Tse Yau Onyee, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, said it would take time to see the benefits of the changes.

Hong Kong39;s May retail sales slumped 11.5 from a year earlier, government data showed on Tuesday, reflecting a surge in outbound trips, strength in the local currency and a high base of comparison for visitor…