Hong Kong travel restrictions push 53 per cent of American Chamber of Commerce members to consider leaving on personal grounds, survey finds

A recent survey by American Chamber of Commerce found travel restrictions were harming business sentiments among members, with one-third forced to delay investments

Group president Tara Joseph says poll could be a ‘launch point’ for making city a top business destination

Reading Time:3 minutes

An American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong survey found that only 10 per cent said of members were unlikely to quit the city. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:00am, 19 Jan 2022Updated: 2:20pm, 20 Jan 2022

Covid-19 restrictions have pushed over half of the members of an influential American business group to consider leaving Hong Kong on personal grounds, with about one-third being forced to delay new investments, according to its poll.

In a recent survey of 262 members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham), about 53 per cent of firm leaders said they had considered quitting the city for personal reasons because of stringent travel restrictions.

“Hong Kong still holds business opportunities but an array of issues, especially draconian travel restrictions and worsening US-China relations weigh on sentiment,” the chamber said.

With quarantine measures affecting businesses, about one-third of respondents said they were forced to delay new investments while another 30 per cent had struggled to fill senior executive roles.

Only 10 per cent of AmCham members said they were unlikely to quit the city while another 36 per cent remained neutral, the survey reported.

Conducted between September 10 and October 8, the poll found another 33 per cent were likely to leave the city for business reasons, while 7 per cent did not have an exit plan and 59 per cent remained neutral.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2x faster

1.25x

250 WPM

Slow

Average

Fast

00:0000:00

1.25x