Letters | Let’s face it, Hong Kong is just not that appealing to tourists
- Readers discuss whether Hong Kong should focus on tourism, the closure of Virgin Atlantic’s Hong Kong route, lunchtime rules for schoolchildren, and the debate over online learning
Early into my decade-long residency here, I concluded that Hong Kong was the opposite of the classic tourist hotspot: a nice place to live but one I wouldn’t want to visit. What do we have here that can’t be found in other places? Mountainous and verdant hiking trails, occasionally with sea views, at the end of which one can have a nice meal of southern Chinese cuisine.
That’s about it, and while it’s a pleasant enough experience, I cannot imagine that it’s sufficiently appealing to convince a large number of people to suffer hours cramped into a metal tube, especially if they must wear masks almost everywhere upon arrival and scan in and out of venues with various tracing apps on their phones. We have nice museums, restaurants and galleries but “nice” is not a commodity so rare that people would want to pay the prevailing airfare to seek out the Hong Kong variety of it when their own country almost surely offers a good substitute.
Wet markets are a fascinating destination but inimical to the Western-wannabe-foodie trope of wandering, perusing and inquiring from the shopkeepers what one can do with the exotic ingredients on offer. Hongkongers are too busy and too proud to play prop to some tourist trying to channel a latter-day Julia Child, who dreams of free and impromptu Cantonese cooking classes from benevolent strangers before returning to a rented flat to steam a grouper with ginger and spring onions and document it all on TikTok.
Run-of-the-mill holiday-making simply isn’t something that Hong Kong does well, and we shouldn’t waste our time or embarrass ourselves in trying unsuccessfully to do so.
Gregory Whitten, Tuen Mun
Virgin Atlantic’s departure should ring alarm bells
Not only does Virgin’s closure reduce travel options for overseas students, it sends a clear warning that the advantages the city possessed in the past may be gone very soon.
The Hong Kong government has ended the mandatory hotel quarantine for overseas arrivals. The city is clearly trying to catch up with global trends. But given that other countries nearby have removed all travel restrictions, we are still a long way from a tourism revival and, by extension, from economic recovery.
If we are not able to travel freely, without testing or quarantine, by the end of the year, Virgin Atlantic’s departure will be just the beginning.
Marcus Or, Kowloon Bay
Keep pandemic lunchtime rules for pupils in place
Students have been forced to have lunch in partitioned areas for their own safety. The virus can spread through airborne transmission. If a child has unknowingly contracted Covid-19 and chats with friends during lunch, the whole group could be infected.
Many children are still not vaccinated, despite the government’s efforts to boost the vaccination rate. What’s more, younger schoolchildren may not be aware of the potential health risks in school.
While some have argued that the current rules at school inhibit children from socialising, the lunch break is only one part of the school day. Children still have plenty of time during school hours to bond with their classmates. The loss of an hour to chat and frolic should have a minimal effect on their all-round development.
Lucas Lee, Tai Wai
Don’t disregard the benefits of online learning
However, online learning can help students build confidence. I am sure most of us have experienced the embarrassment of having to answer a question in class and getting it wrong. Without face-to-face interaction, students don’t need to fear these kinds of situations, and so are more active during lessons.
Through online learning, teachers can provide students with a more personalised and interactive learning experience using educational apps, such as Kahoot and Edpuzzle, that offer fun, targeted exercises. Teachers can also easily analyse data from the apps to understand their students’ strengths and weaknesses.
Finally, online learning is convenient. Students can’t lose track of their homework when it is assigned and collected through apps like Google Classroom, and they receive reminders before the due date.
All in all, online learning has advantages when it is used properly.
Charlotte Tse, Kwai Chung
