A cab driver helps passengers with their luggage, a store assistant finds movie star Louis Koo a shoe that fits, and a barista serves a customer coffee with a smiley face on it. These scenes are part of Hong Kong’s summer tourist promotion.
According to authorities, Hong Kong’s service sectors are deficient in civility. They think that changing the public’s image of the city’s harsh approach will assist attract more tourists and boost the city’s struggling economy.
John Lee, the chief executive of Hong Kong, stated during the campaign’s launch in June, “We should smile more, we should be more courteous, and we should be more helpful.”
Although the Chinese territory has previously marketed an image of a “friendly” Hong Kong, the new campaign emphasizes education and training resources for the city’s service workers rather than tourists. It is promoted in schools, on television, and on social media.
The initiative, called “Let’s Go the Extra Mile,” is being launched as the Chinese territory looks to revitalize the weak post-pandemic economic recovery and restore its standing as a major international financial center in the wake of Beijing’s political crackdown on its civil freedoms.
According to Kevin Yeung, the minister of culture, sports, and tourism in Hong Kong, poor service had “tarnished” the city’s reputation, with “a handful of black sheep, which has damaged the reputation [of] our frontline workers” to blame.
On platforms like the Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, where mainland users exchange travel advice and which is heavily frequented by pro-Beijing officials in Hong Kong, numerous travelers have expressed their discontent with subpar treatment.
Taxi drivers frequently have a negative attitude, according to Wilson Lau, an accountant who lives in Hong Kong. “During a ride, I’ve had taxi drivers complain directly to my face that my trip was “too short” and that I shouldn’t have taken a taxi.”
When Helene Han, a Shanghai executive, called a hotel in Hong Kong regarding a particular room type, she was taken aback by the “appalling” attitude of the receptionist. Helene Han was in Hong Kong for business. “The receptionist just said ‘don’t call again'” when her request for a room was turned down.
Over seventy percent of visitors to Hong Kong are from mainland China. However, according to Natixis senior economist Gary Ng, many Chinese tourists from the mainland left quickly.
He said that despite efforts to revive an industry that accounted for 4.8% of the city’s GDP last year, monthly arrivals were still roughly 40% below pre-pandemic levels.
Ng stated, “Instead of sprinkling ideas all over the place, Hong Kong will need long-term planning and vision in order to position itself in tourism.”
To the dismay of the authorities, tourism has been going the other way: more Hongkongers are taking weekend vacations across the border to southern China due to improved service and lower costs. Over the course of the June long weekend during the Dragon Boat Festival, more than 900,000 Hong Kong residents traveled to mainland China, according to official figures.
In an effort to boost tourism, Hong Kong plans to hold more than 200 “mega events” this year, such as summits, conferences, exhibitions, and sporting events. The “Let’s Go the Extra Mile” campaign’s cost was not disclosed by a government representative.
However, because to a broad national security rule that Beijing implemented in 2020 and which has almost eliminated political protest in the area, the US, UK, Canada, and Australia have all issued travel cautions for the city. Hong Kong introduced its own stringent security laws this year.
“I don’t think politeness has a significant impact on tourism to Hong Kong,” stated Chong Ja Ian, a political science associate professor at the National University of Singapore. “In the past, Hong Kong’s openness and cosmopolitanism were major draws.”
Some travelers don’t really care about being polite. A Finnish traveler named Jussi Jokinen declared, “It’s one of the most expensive cities in the world.” “People are currently very cost conscious.”
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