Locals explore Hong Kong in their thousands, but travel industry still suffering as coronavirus keeps visitors away
- Tours of city attracted more than 7,000 people either side of the third wave
- Industry chief says far from being a gimmick the scheme could prove to be the future of tourism
The Tourism Board had offered 10,000 discounted local tours under the scheme, originally launched in June but cut short by the city’s third wave of Covid-19 infections, before resuming in October.
However, a fourth wave prevented about 2,000 people from taking their trips, the board’s executive director, Dane Cheng Ting-yat, said.
“These tours were not a gimmick. We want this scheme to pave the way for a new mode of travel once the pandemic is over,” Cheng told a radio show.
“If local tour operators can come up with itineraries that even Hongkongers find interesting, it would really help with promoting tourism for the city.”
Hong Kong’s tourism sector, which contributes about 5 per cent of the city’s gross domestic product, has been hit hard in the first 10 months of the year, with tourism arrivals plummeting 93 per cent to only 3.56 million because of the virus.
While the local tour groups were well received, Cheng said about 2,000 people were yet to join their excursions as the number of people allowed in travel groups was again lowered when the fourth wave of infections hit.
Tours had been operating with 30 people allowed per group.
The city has logged a series of triple-digit increases in confirmed Covid-19 cases over the past week, bringing the city’s infection total above 6,800, with 112 related deaths.
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“We hoped that all 10,000 people could complete their trips by the end of the year, but unfortunately it has to be delayed. Luckily most of the operators said they are willing to wait until the situation gets better,” Cheng said.
