Letters | More roads lead to Hong Kong: how to improve tourist spending

Readers discuss ways to attract more visitors from mainland China and belt and road countries, and the success of the Chinese New Year Cup

Hong Kong tourism

Letters

Published: 11:30am, 22 Feb 2024

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This year’s Lunar New Year holidays went by quickly. There were a lot of events and many short-stay tourists from the mainland visited Hong Kong. But restaurant operators I spoke to said their Chinese New Year billings were only better than during the Covid-19 period despite the heavy crowds. I could probably sum up the reason for that in one word: cost.

We lament that tourists are not spending. A friend of mine who is of Southeast Asian descent told me his daughter’s wedding banquet in Hong Kong, even at a friendship price, would cost HK$16,000 per table in a reputable five-star hotel on Hong Kong Island, whereas the event in a top Chinese restaurant in Johor Bahru in Malaysia with a similar menu would cost only HK$4,000 a table.

Johor Bahru is becoming very popular with northeastern Chinese tourists, given that the weather is good and the hospitality friendly and economical. When I searched several hotel booking platforms, the most expensive hotel in Johor Bahru during the current Chinese New Year period was about HK$550 per night. What bargains do we offer in Hong Kong?

More importantly, both Malaysia and Singapore have recently granted tourists from mainland China visa-free entry for 30 days, and the number of tourists flocking to these two destinations has surged.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong offers investment and talent schemes for immigrants, which only a minority qualify for. Visitors from the mainland deserve to be granted visa-free entry for 15 days or more without conditions.

We are not getting as many Western tourists and we lament that and blame geopolitics but what about tourists from Belt and Road Initiative countries? Westerners may think Hong Kong is tainted, but people from belt and road countries wouldn’t agree.

They would still find Ocean Park and the Disneyland here attractive. Tourists from Central Asia, Southeast Asia and India are interested in Hong Kong.

I met a group of Indians who paid a very dear price to come to Hong Kong and watch Lionel Messi not play football. I saw people from different ethnic groups watching the World Legends play against the Hong Kong Legends at Hong Kong Stadium.

Tourists would certainly come to watch NBA players, volleyball stars, fencers, snooker players, divers and swimmers, not to mention the hugely popular Rugby Sevens and Standard Chartered Marathon. Hong Kong really can offer more than just shopping and food.

Vietnam is fast catching up and so are Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos. Thailand is already a competitor. Isn’t it time our tourism heads revisited our strategies？

Joseph Chan, chairman, Silk Road Economic Development Research Centre

Chinese New Year Cup shows the city’s star appeal

I refer to the report, “Chinese New Year Cup lifts post-Messi Hong Kong as crowds thrill to Rivaldo, Francesco Totti” (February 14). I went to the game with my four-year-old son and my father, and we all enjoyed it.

The three of us had already enjoyed ourselves at the World Football Masters Cup at Hong Kong Stadium on January 20, watching stars like Luis Figo and Ryan Giggs play on one side against Michael Owen and other former Liverpool players.

The Chinese New Year Cup on February 13 did not disappoint. Apart from my favourite player Robert Pires, there were also Spanish stars David Villa, Carles Puyol and Fernando Morientes, as well as Alessandro Del Piero, Wesley Sneijder, David James, Mikael Silvestre and Juan Sebastian Veron.

Just like the game less than a month ago, the tickets were quite cheap. I was not only happy to see these players still fit and passionate about football, but their enthusiasm for playing in and visiting Hong Kong also made us proud. It gave us much-needed reassurance that Hong Kong is still an international metropolis that both ordinary people and big names love to visit.

The match is proof that as long as the government is supportive and we have the right organisers, we can stage events that delight people, regardless of their age, gender, ethnicity and background. Let’s keep up the momentum and host more great events, whether sports matches, races, exhibitions, concerts or business conferences. Hong Kong is a special place; we can do this.

Tony Cheung, Kennedy Town