HK needs new tourist attractions
The special administrative region government teamed up with the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong on Wednesday in hosting an international tourism convention under the theme of “Leveraging the Belt and Road Initiative and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development”.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah made a speech to the gathering, in which he noted Hong Kong has earned the distinction of the city that has attracted most visitors from around the world for eight years in a row. This is no doubt an impressive achievement but hardly surprising, given Hong Kong’s role as China’s front door to the outside world and nearest outbound tourist destination for mainland compatriots.
As the most populous nation in the world, China is also the largest source of tourists. The mainland has been Hong Kong’s top source of visitors since the introduction of the Individual Visit Scheme in the wake of the SARS epidemic in 2003, a muchneeded measure to boost Hong Kong’s economy by jumpstarting tourism and related sectors with sharply increased arrivals from the north. It worked immediately that year and actually redoubled its effects in following years due to the expansion of its coverage.
This year the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong KongZhuhai-Macao Bridge opened for service and became instant new tourist attractions. However, the two engineering marvels are first and foremost communication and transportation facilities, where travelers do not spend time more than they need to. For example, the HZMB has attracted thousands of mainland residents every day since it opened last month but more than 50 percent of them were day visitors who only spent a few hours in Hong Kong just to experience the world’s longest bridge-and-tunnel cross-sea link and maybe do a little shopping near the bridge. After all, these mega-structures were built to bring more visitors to Hong Kong’s downtowns, not just the HZMB and XRL terminus. This is why more tourist attractions are needed to keep Hong Kong fresh and interesting to visitors from the mainland as well as around the world.
By “fresh” we mean something not many people except locals have seen. It does not have to be new. Hong Kong is a cosmopolitan city but different from New York City or Shanghai. It has its own unique characteristics and societal personality deeply rooted in southern Chinese culture and lifestyle mixed with some foreign flavors brought over from Europe and our Asian neighbors. Apart from the welldeveloped tourist hot spots and popular shopping streets in Kowloon and Hong Kong Island, the government should find other interesting sites each with a unique and fascinating story behind it. Such sites do not have to be ancient, either. Hong Kong’s local culture is constantly evolving and there is no shortage of creativity among 7 million-strong local residents. We just need to be more observant and curious.