Editorial | Shopping alone will not lure tourists back to Hong Kong
- Hong Kong needs more out-of-the-box ideas to rebrand itself as place people from the mainland and elsewhere want to visit
If rebooting the Covid-battered tourism economy were as simple as reopening the border, Hong Kong should have been flooded with visitors by now.
But changing travel patterns and trends have made the road to recovery bumpier than expected. The city risks losing out if it fails to revive its tourism magic and innovate in a fast-rebounding global market.
Industry leaders are not wrong in saying tax-free shopping still has an appeal to some mainland travellers, but the city clearly can no longer rest on its laurels as a shopping paradise.
Some travel agencies say the demand for tour packages has had a slow take off. This is perhaps not surprising. Nowadays, consumers can get what they want at competitive prices via well-developed e-commerce platforms on the mainland. Others say the city’s poor service and hospitality have put off visitors.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu yesterday sought to talk up the situation, saying the tourism industry was on a smooth road to recovery. He was referring to the landmark daily arrival figure of 100,000 over the weekend.