Better management needed by Hong Kong on budget tours from mainland
- Visitors from across the border are of course welcome, but herding them around like sheep and disrupting local life are issues that must be looked at
Reviving tourism is as much about quantity as it is quality. As arrivals steadily rise following three years of Covid-induced freeze, it is important that visitors also leave with a good experience.
We are not sure how many would enjoy eating cup noodles outside public toilets or lunchboxes on the street. But it reflects badly on our image when they become the itinerary of inbound package tours for mainlanders.
Cross-border budget tours have long been a stain on Hong Kong’s tourism credentials. Comprising shopping at designated outlets to make up for low prices, these groups eat at low-end restaurants outside tourist areas and inconvenience local residents.
Recently, they have returned in hordes, with some seen having “two-dish rice” – a local takeaway staple – on the street. Some tour groups were seen crowding pavements and forming long queues to enter restaurants or waiting for tour buses.
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Mainland China to open all borders with Hong Kong and Macau, travel tours to resume
One clip showed some tourists eating cup noodles outside a public toilet at Repulse Bay.
The return of budget tours was to be expected after the borders reopened. But the authorities apparently only took action following media reports.
The Travel Industry Authority sent officers to inspect sightseeing and dining venues in Kowloon City and To Kwa Wan over the past few days, while police were also deployed to maintain order. Such actions speak volumes of the inadequacies in our tourism infrastructure.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has tasked officials to improve the management of inbound tours, saying the city had capacity issues at the early stage of recovery. The authority said it had asked agencies to stagger meal times and would consider halting new applications for more stores servicing these groups.
But some tour operators are adamant that budget tours are essential to the industry, adding that the city must not discriminate against low-end travellers.
Hong Kong tourism chief vows tougher curbs amid complaints against tour groups
Ideally, there should be tours for different budgets. But for an expensive city such as Hong Kong, even bargain deals have limits.
Some low-cost tours are notorious for their quality, or lack thereof. They concentrate on the two districts in Kowloon and cause traffic and hygiene problems.
Even though the impact has yet to spill over to other districts, images of mainlanders crowding and eating on the streets have raised eyebrows across the city and beyond.
Hong Kong should lay out the welcome mat for mainlanders
The government needs no reminder of how southbound tour groups and cross-border parallel trading aggravated conflicts between Hong Kong and the mainland in the past. The tension may spiral again if the problems arising from budget tours are not handled well.
Officials must redouble efforts to minimise the negative impact on local residents. At stake is not just people’s livelihood and cross-border relations, but also the city’s image as a top travel destination.
