Unlicensed tours of Hong Kong neighbourhoods are booming on platforms like Airbnb but operators are wary of the legal risks they run
- Over 200 activities are offered on Airbnb Experiences, which launched in 2017, but many who run them are unregulated
- Obstacles to getting licences remain and tourism industry is reluctant to make things easier for newcomers
Hosting sightseeing tours through Airbnb to show visitors Hong Kong’s hidden gems is a welcome source of revenue for tour organisers like Hayley, as well as a fun way of making new friends. But there are also legal risks in operating such activities without a licence.
Rather than bring visitors to the city’s better-known tourist attractions, the 35-year-old shares stories with them about the rise and fall of Hong Kong’s fashion manufacturing industry in the textile wholesale hub of Sham Shui Po, an old working-class neighbourhood in Kowloon.
“A lot of interesting things can be dug out here. It’s like doing a treasure hunt,” said Hayley, a former fashion buyer who declined to give her full name.
“I hope more people can learn about the neighbourhood through this tour, not just Hong Kong residents but foreign visitors too. So they can see part of Hong Kong’s authentic side.”
Airbnb Experiences – a platform that allows locals to organise activities for guests to explore their town or city – was launched in Hong Kong in 2017, as tourism off the beaten path became popular among young travellers.
Over 200 activities are offered locally on the site, with about half of them sightseeing tours, according to a Post review.
