Dealing with tourist influx requires joined-up thinking
B.C. Lo says Hong Kong must adopt a more joined-up approach to cope with the influx of mainland visitors, including creating a more even spread among attractions with flexible transport
The Individual Visit Scheme launched a decade ago has facilitated visits to Hong Kong by millions of mainland Chinese, greatly benefiting the city. However, recent controversies associated with the infant milk formula shortage, the very crowded malls, and the full capacity of theme parks during Lunar New Year have generated some adverse public comments, with some calling for a halt to the scheme and others demanding the cancellation of multi-entry visas for mainland visitors. In short, some locals have said mainlanders are unwelcome as they create social problems.
On the face of it, the influx of mainlanders seems to be unmanageable. On taking a deeper look, it is evidently more an issue of management than capacity - how can we better divert and manage visitor flow so that it does not concentrate in several locations, especially during a few peak holiday periods?
The current debate about the Individual Visit Scheme is timely. The government should review the situation to better prepare Hong Kong to fully capture the opportunities arising from the Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge in 2015 and 2016 respectively.
Diverting and managing the flow of visitors is not an insurmountable challenge. It can be achieved through enhancing connectivity between attractions, particularly during the peak season. This requires adopting a more co-ordinated approach to promoting the city overseas.
The problem faced by Lantau tourism operators brings this to the fore. Currently, a visitor wishing to go to Hong Kong Disneyland from Hong Kong International Airport has to change transport modes several times. Or, if a tourist wants to visit Noah's Ark, they need to first travel to Tsing Yi. This creates confusion for tourists and even locals.
Lantau attractions operators have been seeking ways to resolve the connectivity problems. However, without government support, it is often just a patchwork of stop-gap measures that cannot be sustained.
One way to address the problem is to make it easier for transport operators to run connecting routes among attractions. Currently, tendering procedures are strictly adhered to, with schedules and fares fixed for every single route, which operators find inflexible and commercially unviable. The end result is a lack of interest while the existing infrastructure remains unused. To help tourism, the government needs to be more flexible and consider introducing pilot schemes to encourage tender submissions.
