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A tourist takes a selfie in front of Victoria Harbour on Hong Kong Island. Photo: EPA

Sharp fall in mainland tourists sparks Hong Kong tour guide calls for relief measures

Industry union claims figures have plunged by 60 per cent compared to last year

A tourism practitioner union is calling on the government to roll out relief measures amid “freezing times” for the industry.

The Hong Kong Tourism Industry Employees General Union, representing 3,200 tour guides in the city, is demanding a string of subsidies and fee waivers to offset dwindling income.

The appeal came after 90 per cent of 473 tour guides in a survey earlier this month expressed pessimism over the industry’s prospects in the coming year, while 85 per cent believed they would take a pay cut.

A total of 11,650 inbound tours were recorded between January and March this year, according to the union. That’s an average of 130 tours per day, a drastic 60 per cent cut from the 340 tours the city received daily last year. There were 9,300 inbound tours in November last year alone.

Ann Yu Li-hua, chairwoman of the Hong Kong Professional Tourist Guides General Union, explained that competition is so stiff she has seen tour guides secure only one tour after a few months.

She said as a result, around 40 per cent of the tour guides on the union have had to take up other part-time jobs.

Tourists visit Golden Bauhinia Square. Photo: Nora Tam

The group also blamed loopholes and a lack of surveillance by the Travel Industry Council for the rise of unlicensed practitioners whom they claim eat away at their earnings.

Union president Sara Leung Fong-yuen revealed that instead of joining package tours at travel agencies, mainlanders eligible for the Individual Visit Scheme are now turning to travel websites to recruit “personal guides”, or people who are familiar with the city but are not accredited practitioners.

The union listed a number of demands to help the flagging industry: waiving fees for tour guides to renew their licenses, as well as admission fees at tourist attractions while on duty. It also called on the MTR Corp to provide concessionary fares for tour guides travelling to the border and the airport.

Meanwhile, the union believed Hongkongers should do their part to safeguard the city’s “civilised” and friendly image in the wake of a spate of recent protests against mainland visitors.

Fears over a wave of redundancies in the tourism and its related sectors grew after Hong Kong Disneyland announced it would slash not more than 100 jobs last week.

Union members said they will meet with the theme park’s management on Friday to discuss remedial measures. They are also hoping to set up a meeting with Commerce and Economic Developement Secretary Greg So Kam-leung, who oversees the Tourism Commission.

In response to the Post’s inquiry, the commission said it is “very concerned about the livelihood of frontline staff in the tourism industry” and listed a string of initiatives to boost tourism performance, including an $80-million injection for the Tourism Board to conduct publicity campaigns overseas.

It also vowed to maintain communication with the trade practitioners for a “healthy and sustainable development” of the industry.

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