Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Saturday, Jun 03, 2023

Hong Kong can regain its tourism crown – if it moves with the times

Hong Kong can regain its tourism crown – if it moves with the times

Hong Kong needs to modernise its tourism model, focusing on quality rather than quantity, and respond to shifts in consumer behaviour during the pandemic. With its unique history and location, and creative and resilient workforce, the city has what it takes but it must adapt swiftly.

The unprecedented disruption during the Covid-19 pandemic to how we travel has created an urgent need to rethink transport, accommodation and hospitality for all destinations involved in travel and tourism.

The tourism industry has historically been one of Hong Kong’s most important sources of income, contributing nearly five per cent of the city’s gross domestic product and providing numerous employment opportunities. However, the industry has suffered greatly recently due to the year-long protests that paralysed parts of the city, and the slow lifting of anti-epidemic measures that scared off potential visitors.

Reversing the damage done to Hong Kong’s tourism industry and enhancing its current poor image will take a long time and a lot of effort. That’s why we must act now to show the world what Hong Kong has to offer.

The Hong Kong government has recently paid much more attention to tourism, and that’s a positive development, but flashy promotions, slogans and giveaways are not enough.

To restore confidence, all businesses involved in the industry – airlines, travel agents, hotels, shops, major tourist attractions, conference and exhibition organisers, the media, and others – must enhance their hardware and software for the new normal and respond to the latest trends and expectations. In short, we need to give travellers concrete reasons to return.

The recently launched “Hello Hong Kong” campaign to promote tourism has faced some criticism. It’s clear that the city should project a stronger message, focusing on its unique cultural diversity, culinary richness, efficiency, safety and more. After several years of lockdowns, people crave authentic and meaningful experiences when they travel, so a compelling proposition is essential.

Over the past decade, Hong Kong has relied too heavily on one source of tourist arrivals, which is not sustainable in the long term. The need to move from mass to quality tourism is obvious, and the decision is hardly a choice.

The city is becoming increasingly expensive, and it’s no longer the shopping haven it once was. In fact, other regional destinations now offer the same or better choices, some at lower prices. This will significantly impact the number of arrivals.

Hong Kong needs to modernise its tourism model. Quality tourists expect higher standards in both economic and cultural terms, and a well-trained and motivated workforce with a positive attitude is imperative to welcome, serve and attract them – hospitality is a people-first business, after all.

The good news is Hong Kong does have what it takes to regain its dominant position in the global tourism industry. The city is blessed with a distinctive history and location. Its inhabitants are also exceptionally creative, innovative and resilient, with a proven track record of turning challenges into opportunities. Overall, it’s a unique place to live, work and visit – one of the most freewheeling places in the world, and definitely a place of contradictions.

The city’s strengths in financial services, trade, transport, communication and infrastructure also remain robust and attractive to many. Its coastal areas and country parks, ranging from sandy beaches and rocky shores to peaks of almost 1,000 metres, are stunning, and something Hong Kong can proudly promote to foreign visitors.

People visit the Tai Tong Sweet Gum Woods in south Yuen Long to admire the changing colour of the leaves on December 27, 2022.

That said, when seeking to attract quality international travellers, Hong Kong must be more aggressive and focused in its approach. Tourism industry investors and operators must recognise that the behaviour and spending patterns of consumers and travellers have shifted dramatically during the pandemic, and will only continue to change. They should alter their business plans and strategies accordingly.


New competitive facilities, products, services and attractions must continually be developed to meet visitors’ expectations. Maximising the potential of Hong Kong’s harbourfront with better facilities for events, business and leisure could be a great place to start.

Another low-hanging fruit would be the creation of a cultural centre for year-round musical or theatrical performances and special events. Created in line with what New York and London are offering, this could be one of the best facilities in Asia.

For several decades, Hong Kong’s tourism industry ranked among the world’s strongest, with high standards resulting in high performance and returns. The wit, grit, passion and professionalism of the city’s local and foreign workforce made its tourism scene highly enterprising, dynamic and competitive.

Past glories, however, cannot be relied upon, and change is inevitable. Hong Kong must adapt now to regain its dominant position in the market.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
Close
0:00
0:00
The driver has been described by authorities as a 21-year-old woman from Tallahassee
Joe Biden falls at the Air Force Graduation
America's Got Talent…
Elon Musk has been showered with praise by the Chinese public during his trip to China
Nvidia Joins Tech Giants as First Chipmaker to Reach $1 Trillion Valuation
Drone Attack on Moscow's Wealthiest Neighborhoods Suspected to be Launched by Ukraine
Elon Musk Meets Chinese Finance Minister in Beijing
AI ‘extinction’ should be same priority as nuclear war – experts
Chinese fighter jet buzzes U.S. Air Force spy plane over South China Sea
Prominent Hacker Forum RaidForums Suffers Substantial Data Breach
Nvidia CEO Huang says firms, individuals without AI expertise will be left behind
WPP Revolutionizes Advertising with NVIDIA's AI Powerhouse
Two US Employees Fired For Chasing Robbers Out Of Store As They Broke ''Company Policy''
Pfizer, the EU, and disappearing ink - Smoke, Mirrors, and the Billion-Dose Pfizer Vaccine Deal: EU's 'Open Secret
The Sussexes' Royal Rebound: Could Harry and Meghan Markle Return to the UK?
A provocative study suggests: Left-Wing Extremism and its Unsettling Connection to Psychopathy and Narcissism
Neuralink Receives FDA Approval for First-in-Human Clinical Study
Ukrainian Intelligence Official Admits to Assassination Attempts on Putin
WATCH THIS: democracy in Russia is so bad!
Ed Davey: It is possible for a woman to have a penis
Bernard Arnault Loses $11.2 Billion in One Day as Investors Fear Slowdown in US Growth Will Reduce Demand for Luxury Products
Russian’s Wagner Group leader: “I am not a chef, I am a butcher. Russia is in danger of a revolution like in 1917.”
TikTok Sues Montana Over Law Banning the App
Ron DeSantis Jumps Into 2024 Presidential Race, Setting Up Showdown With Trump
Steve Jobs introducing Apple's iPhone, exactly 16 years ago.
Banking Behemoth vs Ex-Boss: The PMorgan-Epstein Entanglement
China overtakes Japan as world's top car exporter
Talks between US House Republicans and President Biden's Democratic administration on raising the federal government's $31.4tn debt ceiling have paused
Biden Administration Eyeing High-Profile Visits to China: The Biden Administration is heating things up by looking into setting up a series of top-level visits to Beijing by top officials in the coming months
New evidence in special counsel probe may undercut Trump’s claim documents he took were automatically declassified
A French court of appeals confirmed former President Nicolas Sarkozy's three-year jail term for corruption and influence peddling
Debt Ceiling Crises Have Unleashed Political Chaos
Weibao Wang, a former software engineer at Apple, was charged with stealing trade secrets related to autonomous systems, including self-driving cars
Mobile phone giant Vodafone to cut 11,000 jobs globally over three years as new boss says its performance not good enough
Elon Musk compares George Soros to Magneto, the supervillain from the Marvel Comics series.
Warren Buffett Sells TSMC Shares Over Concerns About Taiwan's Stability
New Study Finds That Secondary Bacterial Pneumonia Is a Major Cause of Death in COVID-19 Patients Who Require Ventilator Assistance
The official tapes of Trump's deposition in the E. Jean Carroll battery (rape) and defamation case have been released.
King Charles III being crowned.
Newly released video of Donald Trump’s rape trial deposition:
Video: Ukraine MP Punches Russian Representative At Global Meet
El Paso mayor has declared a state of emergency
Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Kremlin with drones in an attempt to kill Putin
Dutch court orders man who fathered 550 kids to stop donating sperm
Kim Kardashian Lookalike Christina Ashten Dies Of Cardiac Arrest, Hours After Plastic Surgery
Samsung has banned employees from using generative AI services such as ChatGPT
'Godfather Of AI' Geoffrey Hinton Quits Google To Warn Of The Tech's Dangers
A Real woman
Vermont Man Charged with Stalking After Secretly Tracking Woman with Apple AirTag
Elon Musk Statements About Tesla Autopilot Could Be 'Deepfakes,' Lawyers Claim. Judge Evette Pennypacker Does Not Understand How Far and Advanced This Technology Became
×