Public Eye | Stop the blame game over falling visitor numbers

Let's play the blame game. What's to blame for last month's 9.8 per cent drop in mainland visitors? Is it protests against parallel goods traders, the weak yuan, the strong dollar, China's troubled economy, or its anti-corruption drive? Hongkongers know it's a combination of all these things. They know animosity towards parallel goods traders is not primarily to blame. But our top officials and those with vested interests have singled out the protests as the main cause of falling tourist numbers. There's no denying that localist groups had used thuggish tactics against mainlanders and parallel goods traders. Public Eye has no trouble condemning these acts, which tarnish Hong Kong's core values. But let's tell the truth - government inaction and the greed of vested interests gave rise to these radical groups. Can anyone deny that the city had long been swamped, and that parallel goods traders have destroyed the quality of life in border towns? Reasonable voices pleaded for action but officials turned a deaf ear and vested interests fear-mongered that Hong Kong's economy would collapse unless we let in even more visitors. When pharmacies and jewellery shops changed the face of the city with multiple stores to serve mainlanders, the backlash spawned localist groups which tapped into this public anger. Officials and vested interests insult the intelligence of the people by blaming localist groups for Hong Kong's cooling retail and hotel sectors. Last Sunday's peaceful protest in Sheung Shui against parallel goods traders came six months after hostile protests. Surely, if animosity is to blame for falling visitor numbers, mainlanders would have stopped coming six months ago, right after the hostile protests? But the 9.8 per cent drop happened in July. A 9.8 per cent drop may sound a lot but over 3 million mainlanders still come here every month. How much is enough? Yes, economic growth globally is faltering. That puts Hong Kong on thin ice. So let's stop the blame game and steel ourselves against what may come. When a crisis looms, leaders need to be honest with the people, not find scapegoats.

The fall in visitor numbers has given rise to loopy politics. Liberal Party leader Vincent Fang Kang wants the two-tin milk powder limit for departing visitors scrapped. He demands that Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying apologises to mainlanders for imposing the limit, which he says has hurt the retail sector he represents in the Legislative Council. Leung and other officials hit back, saying parallel goods traders who buy milk powder are not real tourists. Localists protest in Sheung Shui against the traders, who they say have disrupted the lives of locals. Leung and other officials criticise the localists for protesting against the traders, accusing them of hurting Hong Kong's tourism image. So are parallel goods traders real or fake tourists?