Editorial | Better management needed by Hong Kong on budget tours from mainland
- Visitors from across the border are of course welcome, but herding them around like sheep and disrupting local life are issues that must be looked at
Reviving tourism is as much about quantity as it is quality. As arrivals steadily rise following three years of Covid-induced freeze, it is important that visitors also leave with a good experience.
We are not sure how many would enjoy eating cup noodles outside public toilets or lunchboxes on the street. But it reflects badly on our image when they become the itinerary of inbound package tours for mainlanders.
Cross-border budget tours have long been a stain on Hong Kong’s tourism credentials. Comprising shopping at designated outlets to make up for low prices, these groups eat at low-end restaurants outside tourist areas and inconvenience local residents.
Recently, they have returned in hordes, with some seen having “two-dish rice” – a local takeaway staple – on the street. Some tour groups were seen crowding pavements and forming long queues to enter restaurants or waiting for tour buses.
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One clip showed some tourists eating cup noodles outside a public toilet at Repulse Bay.
The return of budget tours was to be expected after the borders reopened. But the authorities apparently only took action following media reports.