Letters | Hong Kong has to offer better travel experiences

Readers discuss why the city’s tourism industry needs to diversify, the artificial islands project, and Greater Bay Area integration

Reading Time:3 minutes

Mainland tourists pose for photos near the Tsim Sha Tsui waterfront in Hong Kong on March 30. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:30am, 7 Apr 2023

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The mainlanders are back … and so are the complaints. At the Legislative Council last month, the secretary for tourism said: “If tourists are overcrowding certain districts … it will bring inconvenience to residents … We want to offer a premium experience to tourists, but we don’t want to see long queues.”

Has he forgotten this is Hong Kong? Queuing is a way of life here!

Some legislators suggested issuing a special licence to restaurants serving mainland tour groups; this licence would apparently be issued according to restaurants’ crowd control ability. Yet, considering that many locals also queue to try the offerings of hot new restaurants and cafes, why should we punish restaurants for being sought-after?

Still, chaotic scenes of tourists crowding narrow pavements show that our city might not have enough capacity to accommodate all these budget tours. Some tourists said they were given only 15 minutes for lunch. It hardly sounds like a premium experience to be offering our guests.

In response, a few restaurants have pledged to allow patrons 30 minutes to eat, introduce reservation systems for tour groups, and deploy security guards for crowd control.

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