Guangdong tourists planning to visit Hong Kong during the National Day holiday week should be careful when shopping and choosing hotels, the Nanfang Daily said Sunday.

Complaints by mainland tourists over dishonest promotional tactics and arbitrary price hikes in Hong Kong had increased, the newspaper said.

Hong Kong's consumer council reported more than 350 complaints by mainland travelers in September. Most of the complaints arose when the tourists wanted to buy video cameras, jewelry, watches, cosmetics, mobile phones and home electrical appliances.

In some cases, shoppers were coaxed into buying cheap digital cameras or were given out-of-date cosmetics and used mobile phones.

Some tourists complained that hotels raised room rates after they arrived despite them having reached an agreement beforehand.

The newspaper advised mainland tourists to compare prices at different shops before buying. Where possible, shop at authorized dealers, the paper said.

The number of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong and Macao has increased after residents in some cities were allowed to visit the special administrative regions without joining tour groups.

About 280,000 mainland tourists, including up to 80,000 do-it-yourself travelers, are expected to visit Hong Kong during the holiday week, known as one of China's tourism "Golden Weeks."

Hong Kong official statistics show each mainland tourist spends more than HK$5,000 (US$642) on average, higher than American and Japanese tourists.

Complaints hotlines are 00852-2508-1234 for group tourists and 2929 2222 for individual tourists.

(Shenzhen Daily September 29, 2003)