You won’t believe what happened in Hong Kong this Mayday holiday. Hundreds of mainland Chinese tourists were caught sleeping overnight in 24-hour McDonald’s. Yes, not in hotels and not in motel. In McDonald’s, sleeping across tables with their luggage. Some even taking off their shoes. Why? Because China’s economy is collapsing and the way Chinese people are traveling now is one of the clearest signs yet of the coming crash. Today, I’ll show you the full story. You’ll see how budget tourism is spreading across China and what it tells us about just how bad things really are on the ground.
Hong Kong during Mayday Holiday was packed. Uh Victoria Harbor, the Peak, the Causeway Bay, tourists everywhere. But here’s the problem. They weren’t spending money. Uh they were sleeping in public spaces, refusing to pay minimum charges at restaurants, turning 24-hour McDonald’s into a makeshift hotel. and photo photos went viral of one McDonald’s in Hong Kong at 6:00 a.m. Dozens of tourists sprout across tables, luggage everywhere, some maybe had one drink, some had nothing, some literally sleeping face down on the table. A reporter found similar scenes all over Hong Kong. At another McDonald’s, around 50 people lying across chairs and tables, some even barefoot. And what did staff do? Nothing.
Because the problem is now so widespread, it’s hard to stop. As a result, Hong Kong’s social media exploded with negative comments like, “Budgy travelers won’t drive the economy. Just send them back. They broke seats for paying customers. They disrespect the local Hong Kong rules. And restaurant owners also hit back. One Italian restaurant in Hong Kong said that they had a flood of people outside but zero customers uh after 6 p.m. Um, and another example is that a family of four from China ordered just two bowls of noodles, um, refused to meet the 35 Hong Kong dollars per person minimum charge and argue with the staff for about like 20 minutes.
Result, widespread outrage. Locals say this is damaging Hong Kong’s service sector. Now, here’s the real question. Why is this happening now? Because China’s economy is in deep trouble. Three years of insane COVID lockdowns crushed small businesses and their livelihood. Now with real estate collapsing, youth unemployment soaring and the middle class shrinking, Chinese consumers are losing confidence and downgrading across the board. Budget tourism is exploding. You know, when college students travel, they just rush through the sites with no money to spend. And the tent tourism is taking off. Tourists just bring tents to avoid hotels.
They literally camp in scenic spots, now nicknamed the field army. This is not a sign of a growing Chinese economy. It is a sign of an economy in deep distress. Now, I used to live in China, so I know the pride Chinese people once had about uh traveling abroad. It was all about luxury shopping, staying in nice hotels, taking nice photos to show off on WeChat. Now, sleeping in McDonald’s, fighting over minimum charges, camping outside tourist spots, that’s not pride, that’s survival. And it shows how fast the middle class is shrinking.
Even the CCP’s propaganda machine cannot hide this anymore. So, next time you hear about China’s great economic recovery after CO, uh, remember this. Thousands or even more Chinese tourists can no longer even afford hotels. They are sleeping in McDonald’s because that’s what what their wallets can handle. That is what a collapsing consumption economy really looks like. And unless something changes fast, this is just the beginning. And it potents deep trouble for the CCP leadership because the contract between their legitimacy and people’s living standard is fundamentally broken. and I’ll see you in the next
