Guiding with great storytelling— professional tour guides crafting tailor-made journeys for travellers

While travel information such as transport tips, foodie guide and time-limited offers are accessible to all at a tap’s distance on the mobile, veteran tour guides Vivian Wong Lai-hung and Redd Hung Hoi-hung demonstrate otherwise. Specializing in serving European/American and Southeast Asian tourists respectively, their enduring passion for Hong Kong empowers them to transform this tiny dot on the map into a vibrant metropolis for their guests. By consistently going the extra mile and sharing unique narratives about the city, they prove that professional guides still play an indispensable role in modern tourism.

“You must genuinely fall in love with this place first, before you can make tourists love it too,” Wong said, believing that a tour guide must genuinely appreciate even a bowl of wonton noodles before conveying the appeal of it to inspire guests to fall in love with it.

With over two decades in the industry, Wong’s motto is to “work hard, feel fun.” In 2009, when American singer Kelly Clarkson performed in Hong Kong, Wong arranged for her to visit Aberdeen and Tai O, and even to experience a foot massage in Central. “For both big stars and ordinary tourists, you must treat them as your personal friends. Only then will you be willing to show them the best of Hong Kong,” she said.

From fishing village to international metropolis — the charm of Hong Kong

Speaking of Tai O, Wong’s eyes light up. “The stilt houses, the old ladies sun-drying shrimps, the splashes from speeding boats... the scene is very beautiful,” she described. “And then the salty smell of the sea, the sweet aroma of deep fried buns, the spiciness of curry fish balls — the layers are very rich.” She explained that the local warmth in Tai O even extends to the sea, where locals often invite visitors to go on a boat trip to see the Chinese white dolphins and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, witnessing Hong Kong’s transition from a traditional fishing village to an international hub.

“Becoming an international metropolis while retaining local colors and preserving fishing village culture — this is Hong Kong’s story. I think ten out of ten tourists would like it,” she said. This particular journey left a deep impression on Clarkson. “She even said she had better understood this place more as she left,” Wong recalled, still holding onto those words today.

Becoming tourists’ observant “butler” with customised trips

Hung, with seventeen years in the industry, describes himself as “tourists’ local butler”. He is skilled at observing tourists’ backgrounds and interests, finding clues from their phone wallpapers and personal items to design personalized itineraries.

For Filipino guests from Catholic countries, he provides information about nearby chapels; for young people who like anime, he recommends the collectible haven at In’s Point in Yau Ma Tei; for a group who works in construction, Hung will explain the city’s construction sites and bamboo scaffolding techniques.

“Being a tour guide isn’t about retelling things you learn from books; it’s more about sharing bits of daily life, highlighting cultural differences,” he said. He observed that Southeast Asian tourists enjoy a livelier atmosphere, so he often takes on a more casual tone and tells some jokes, such as mocking the higher petrol cost in town when tourists noted the common use of electric vehicles in Hong Kong.  On the other hand, for business travelers who are usually more reserved, he breaks the ice with the universal love for food. “Once I hosted a group of congressmen from the Philippines, and I took them to try the Dai Pai Dong in Ladies’ Market. They were so amazed by the flavourful dishes and enjoyed it better than high-end restaurants.”

A local guide = a local friend

What Wong and Hung share in common is their unwavering willingness to go the extra mile. Whenever Wong visits different attractions, she builds her network in her own spare time. From Peak artists to Stanley cafe owners, whether popular spots or hidden gems, they are all her contacts. Once, an American-Chinese tourist wanted to find the maid who cared for him in his childhood to repay her kindness. Despite the little clue of “San Tin Village” given to her, Wong leveraged her personal network built throughout the years, and eventually reunited them. “It was fortunate I had a friend in the village, this is exactly why I could achieve this seemingly impossible mission,” she revealed.

On the other hand, Hung, who was raised largely by his grandmother, is happy to play a filial grandson when hosting elderly tourists. Early in his career, when hosting older tourists from Europe, America, and Australia, he would accompany them to the supermarket and even help adjust the water heater in their hotel room. “If no one accompanied them, they might just stay in the hotel, afraid of going out,” he observed. This heartfelt consideration led an Australian couple to stay in touch with Hung to this day. “They send me postcards, often leave messages on Facebook — they are more active than my own parents,” he shared with a smile.

In an era where everyone can check maps and read guides online, the value of a tour guide has long surpassed simply providing information. It lies even more in the emotional connection between people. Wong and Hung set perfect examples of how their passion and sincerity encourages tourists to truly experience Hong Kong instead of just checking in,  and appreciate the city’s unique stories and our spirit of hospitality.

Echoing the “New Outstanding Services Award Scheme” jointly introduced by the Tourism Commission and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the “Praise Quest — Hospitable Hong Kong” series will share stories of frontline service practitioners in tourism-related sectors with the trade and the public to promote the spirit of hospitality by “going the extra mile” together.