Opinion | Developing deep travel to cater to new tourist preferences

By Dr. Kevin Lau

As the Christmas and New Year holidays come to an end, everyone is returning to their work positions. At the end of the Christmas break, I heard from a tourism industry professional in Hong Kong through the radio that there was a significant gap between the number of inbound tourists during the holiday period and the anticipated figures. Mainland Chinese tourists have always been an important component of Hong Kong's visitor arrivals. Firstly, the influx of large tour groups has significantly reduced. Additionally, even though some local shopping malls were crowded during the Christmas period, and overall business was good, mainland visitors were no longer flocking to the famous shops on Canton Road and Causeway Bay for shopping. Instead, there has been a shift in their preferences towards "deep travel".

In business, it is crucial to be flexible and adaptable. Mainland tourists are no longer enthusiastic about purchasing luxury goods, which has directly impacted the retail industry. In this world of free trade, "the customer is king" and if tourists' preferences change, our response should not be to forcefully bring them back to their old preferences but to cater to their new tastes. If their new preference is for deep travel instead of buying luxury goods, we should respond actively. For example, if customers used to enjoy eating fried rice but now prefer pasta, restaurant chefs should not force them to go back to eating fried rice but should instead strive to improve the quality of their pasta dishes to retain their customers and prevent other restaurants from snatching them away.

It is important to note that the shift towards deep travel or cultural tourism is not unique to Hong Kong. As of the end of last year, global revenue from cultural tourism was expected to exceed $5.9 billion. More importantly, it is estimated that the demand for cultural tourism will experience a high growth rate of 14.4% in compound annual growth over the next ten years. By 2033, global revenue from cultural tourism is expected to reach approximately $23 billion. Therefore, it is unrealistic to try to persuade customers to go back to eating fried rice. Instead of wasting time in that regard, it is better to quickly think about how to cook pasta well to cater to their new tastes.

Most importantly, Hong Kong definitely has the potential to promote deep travel. We always say that Hong Kong is a city that blends Eastern and Western cultures. That is our unique characteristic, which has a historical background. In 1841, Hong Kong became a free port after the Opium War and was ceded to the British. It gradually developed into a vital entrepôt between Southeast Asia and the mainland. Over 150 years of British colonial rule and the period of Japanese occupation during World War II have left Hong Kong with many unique historical sites. It has been estimated that there are over 1,400 historically graded buildings in Hong Kong, all of which are undoubtedly valuable resources for deep travel.

If we need to make changes to survive, then we must change. In any case, we cannot let Hong Kong's tourism industry wither away. The bustling scenes of famous shops on Canton Road and Causeway Bay are remnants of the past. Occasionally reminiscing about them is fine, but relying on them to sustain ourselves is not ideal. Since deep travel has become a new trend, the industry and the government should respond quickly. It is indeed challenging to cook without rice, but since Hong Kong has the potential for deep travel, it is not an impossible task. We should seize the opportunity to launch new deep travel destinations and products, enrich Hong Kong's tourism content, and not be afraid of tourists leaving us.

The author is a specialist in radiology with a Master of Public Health from the University of Hong Kong, and an adviser of Our Hong Kong Foundation.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.