Big push to lure back tourists, businesses

Jane Cheung

Hong Kong will launch a "big promotion exercise" next month to lure back tourists and businesses, says Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.

At the same time, a Tourism Bureau spokeswoman announced that an international cruise will berth in Hong Kong on January 18 - the first time since Covid broke out in January 2020.

Authorities also welcomed tourism representatives from South Korea and Taiwan to experience the city's "winter vibes."

Over the past three weeks, over 60 representatives from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore have visited the SAR, the spokeswoman said.

Lee remains hopeful the economy will be boosted by the border reopening, though less than 10,000 mainlanders arrived during the first two days of the easing. Asked if Hong Kong had overestimated the benefits of the reopening, he said it only happened on Sunday and so "there is a period for adjustment."

But the reopening increased Hong Kong's international connectivity for overseas visitors to come to the city and make their way into the mainland, and vice versa, Lee explained.

"The government is planning to do a big promotion exercise starting in February," he went on, as that will be when tourism starts to come back solidly.

On shaping the promotional campaign, he said: "We're not looking at just one or two days. We're obviously looking at the reopening of the boundary crossing in the long run."

Timothy Chui Ting-pong, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Association, said he has heard talk of a mainland-pitched promotional scheme but did not know details.

On what sort of promotions would be effective in luring mainland tourists, Chui said: "I think discounted packages at hotels, railway and tour bus tickets will be useful."

Chui said he expects large-scale tour groups to return to Hong Kong next month as most people are spending the Lunar New Year holiday from January 22 to 25 at home and public transport is reserved for taking people home and then back to work.

Tourism sector legislator Perry Yiu Pak-leung said that while he did not know details of a "big promotion" that doing so after the Lunar New Year holiday would be "quite appropriate given that we will have opened the border with the mainland for a while by that time."

And a Tourism Board spokesman said it will soon announce a "large-scale promotional campaign to drive the rapid revival of Hong Kong's tourism together."

The board did in fact reveal in October a HK$100 million plan to lure global visitors.

That campaign will be promoted on social media and public engagement platforms, while the board will also invite 500 travel "influencers" and Hong Kong "super fans."

On the 50,000 daily quota for Hongkongers to go to the mainland via land crossings, Lee said only 17 percent of slots for the next eight weeks had been taken on an official booking system. So the quota can meet current demands.

He added that authorities still aim to resume express rail services on Sunday.

Roundtable legislator Michael Tien Puk-sun said he expects the first train will depart West Kowloon Station at 8am for Guangdong East.

Other services to Futian, Shenzhen North and Guangzhou South should also be resumed on Sunday in the first stage of reopenings.

In response to calls to replace the highly sensitive PCR Covid tests with rapid tests, Lee said any such change must be agreed by the Hong Kong administration and mainland counterparts.

jane.cheung@singtaonewscorp.com