British YouTuber criticised for ‘Hong Kong no money’ video series

A British vlogger has caused a stir online after visiting Hong Kong and filming a series of videos in which he claims to have navigated the city without spending any of his own money. Self-described entrepreneur and YouTuber Simon Wilson, who is from Wales, posted a three-part video series titled “Hong Kong no money” after he and a friend spent three days exploring Hong Kong Island last month.

As well as receiving food and assistance from Wilson’s fans and other members of the public, the pair also brag about sneaking onto public transport without buying tickets, and seemingly deceive McDonald’s staff into giving them free food.

Wilson gained notoriety in 2017 after he claimed to have sneaked into the Emmy Awards in the United States by pretending to be a photographer. The 27-year-old’s trademark “no money” clips involve him visiting cities around the world and seeking free accommodation, activities, food and transport. In the Hong Kong videos, he is joined by his subscriber Peter Jones, a fellow YouTuber from the Isle of Man, a British dependency in the Irish Sea.

The pair begin their three-day expedition by accepting food from a group of domestic workers who are having a picnic in Central. They meet one of Wilson’s Hong Kong subscribers, who advises the men on how to get through MTR turnstiles without paying.

Wilson next stages an interaction familiar to his subscribers, entering a McDonald's and claiming to have received the wrong order. The staff ask to see his receipt, which Jones claims they have lost. In the end, the pair receive two burgers and a drink.

Their first evening is spent resting in armchairs in the lobby of the Dorsett Hotel in the district of Wan Chai. In the morning, they help themselves to coffee offered free to hotel guests, before making their way to the Grand Hyatt hotel nearby and breezing through various reception desks to reach the rooftop pool, where they sleep on sun loungers.

The duo then attend an arranged meeting with another Hong Kong resident, who gives his age as 27 and claims to work in the yachting industry. He promises them they can spend the night on a boat that is being renovated. He tells them they can ride the tram without paying because the driver “doesn’t usually pay attention”.

The three head to a Sikh temple in Wan Chai, where they partake in the langar – a free community kitchen – before heading to Aberdeen to spend a night on the yacht.

On the third day, the group take a taxi to Stanley. After taking advantage of deli counter samples at a supermarket, they make an agreement with the bartender at the Smuggler’s Inn pub to wash dishes in exchange for their meals.

To return to Central, they walk onto a double-decker bus, pretending to tap their wallets against the Octopus card reader. Jones remarks that the driver “looked confused” when the machine didn’t make its fare deduction noise, but did not intercept the pair.

According to MTR regulations, any passenger who fails to pay their fare is liable to a fine of HK$5,000. Wilson did not respond to the Post’s request to be interviewed.

Comments left on Wilson’s wide range of videos and social media posts are usually overwhelmingly supportive of his audacious exploits; many praise the vlogger for promoting low-cost travel. A minority criticise his methods and question the legitimacy of his claim that he spends no money.

His recent adventures have drawn criticism in Hong Kong, where 1.3 million people live below the poverty line and 1,127 street sleepers were registered in 2018 – a figure that has increased 51 per cent over the last six years, according to the government.

In the midst of a housing crisis that has left many without shelter, the practice of “begpacking” – foreign travellers soliciting the public for money or free goods – has generated a great deal of ire in recent years.

Several comments on the Hong Kong clips advise Wilson to sleep in a McDonald’s restaurant, where many of the city’s homeless gather at night. The number of these so-called “McRefugees” increased sixfold between 2013 and 2018.

In a forum on the website GeoExpat discussing Wilson’s Hong Kong videos, they are criticised for promoting “unacceptable behaviour”.

Some users questioned why the pair hadn’t been caught if they had indeed used public transport without paying. However, Hong Kong Police told the Post that the videos weren’t sufficient to determine whether any crimes had been committed, as the events could have been staged for the camera.

On Wilson’s YouTube channel, which has more than 222,000 subscribers, the three videos have amassed more than 400,000 views in total.