After a six-month break, day trips return
Joy and wariness as at least a dozen companies firms offer local outings
Hong Kong resumed local tours yesterday under its new “vaccine bubble” scheme after a six-months hiatus, with at least a dozen companies offering day trips around the city after a largely scuppered attempt at reopening last week.
While the bubble actually began on April 29, most agencies were unable to relaunch local tours at the time because of difficulties securing enough manpower amid requirements that all staff received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, with exceptions made for those who were medically unfit.
This weekend, the industry was more prepared, if only slightly.
While there are 198 agencies approved by the Travel Industry Council to run tour businesses, only 12 of 46 companies surveyed by the council would be operating this weekend, offering 24 tours in total.
Yesterday, about 20 residents, mostly retirees, had each paid HK$108 to join a one cultural day tour of the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences that was arranged by tour agency Eat Play Travel.
The tour also included a ride on the Star Ferry and stops at the Wan Chai shopping hub of Lee Tung Street and the Central and Western District Promenade on Lung Wo Road.
The resumption of business prompted joy as well as wariness for Eat Play Travel director Chan Chi-wah.
He was grateful for the customers’ return, but concerned about the recent discovery of mutant strains of the virus in the city.
“I feel happy I can finally resume tours and have fun with our customers. We had no business for the last few months; it’s been hard,” Chan said, adding that business was up “a few hundred per cent” since the government announced the relaxation of social-distancing measures. Still, Chan said he was also worried about a potential resurgence of Covid-19 cases following the detection of the mutant strains.
Hong Kong has recorded some 260 variant cases, including at least 11 detected locally. The rest were imported cases.
Chan said he hoped the government could soon open up tours to the mainland and Macau, where most of his clients, and revenue, come from.
“We don’t even dare to talk about future plans. Whatever we can do, we will just do,” he said. “[Local tours] normally don’t make that much money … but it’s still better than nothing.”
Chan also said he supported the government’s requirement that employees in the tourism industry get inoculated to take advantage of the vaccine bubble, even though only some of his staff had got their shots, with some older workers exempted.
Lam Kai-wai, a tour guide in his 60s, was one of those exempted from vaccination. Employees who cannot get their jabs because of health reasons are required to provide a medical certificate and proof of a negative Covid-19 test.
Showing his doctor’s note, Lam said he was holding out hope for a return to normal.
“I hope the situation will stabilise as soon as possible so everything can resume smoothly in our industry,” he said.
Local tourists were pleased to see the sights again, even if it meant complying with enhanced measures, such using the government’s risk-exposure app “LeaveHomeSafe” and having their temperature taken before the tour started.
“We are so happy; we’ve enjoyed local tours in the past to learn about Hong Kong’s places of interest,” said a 63-year-old retiree surnamed Tang.
Lancia Yuen, a 65-year-old retiree, said she was not too worried about the spread of the coronavirus variants.
“We have vaccines available and if we all wear our masks, wash our hands and take care of our hygiene, there is not much to worry about,” she said.