Long holiday to forget reminds Hong Kong it simply cannot afford to relax
- Departures from city outnumbered arrivals by nearly four to one and brought home how it will take more than a big marketing campaign to get visitors back
Tourism remains a pillar of Hong Kong’s economy. But the revival of the sector after the dampeners of the 2019 social unrest and the pandemic is not to be taken for granted.
Evidence of that is to be found in border-crossing figures around the holiday weekend, which brought mixed results for traders, including caterers, who hoped for a lift in business comparable with the good old days.
In the first three days of the Easter long weekend, 860,000 residents left Hong Kong while only 245,000 arrived, mainly from the mainland. Counting the six days straddling Ching Ming and Easter, which many in Hong Kong turned into a holiday, departures outnumbered arrivals by nearly four to one.
These figures follow a recent upward trend in arrivals, with the weekend daily figure finally topping 100,000 last month. But even that fell far short of the annual 51 million a few years ago.
One weekend does not make a season or a year. A smooth, incremental recovery that reflects hard lessons of the past will ultimately tend to be more rewarding.
Nonetheless the result is disappointing and sounds alarm bells that should not be ignored.
It is a reminder there is more substance to tourist promotion – or convincing people that Hong Kong offers value for money – than air-ticket giveaways and a big marketing campaign, which apparently fell flat on this occasion.
Hong Kong may be in danger of seeming “old hat” to a new generation of travellers. Mainlanders are not the only ones in the region who have lifted their adventure horizons on the wings of growing prosperity and an appetite for new experiences.
The underwhelming influx over the weekend was compounded by the comparatively overwhelming rush by residents – 12 per cent of the 7.5 million population – to get out of the city. That has to be seen from the perspective of prolonged pandemic travel restrictions.
Hong Kong businesses suffer as nearly 860,000 residents leave over Easter holiday
Perhaps Hongkongers will rediscover Hong Kong before too long and more of them will stay home to explore its man-made and natural attractions.
But if local and foreign tourism does not recover, it will be a poor return on a huge investment in new and updated tourism infrastructure, from theme parks to a world-class cultural hub.
It is wishful thinking to expect tourism to just bounce back with a little help from the taxpayer. In these connected times it is not only Hong Kong that has changed, but also perceptions at home and abroad of the outside world and travel preferences and patterns.
Hong Kong must strive to find a match for them by making the most of its strengths and resources.
