Opinion | The push to revive tourism in HK

By Tom Fowdy

Over the past half a decade, it is undeniable that the tourism industry of Hong Kong has taken a beating. First came the riots, which beset the city in a state of violence and anarchy as Western-backed black-clad youths systemically destroyed and burned portions of the city. Following that, came the COVID pandemic, whereby authorities implemented strict controls which limited travel into the city accordingly and drastically limited the number of flights.

Then thirdly, amidst it all, the Western mainstream media initiated a firestorm of negative publicity targeting the security over the imposition of national security laws, which as an extension of its campaign against China, have sought to frame Hong Kong in dystopian terms, depicting it as unfavorable for business and tourism alike.

This narrative is of course opportunistic and not based in reality, but it is designed to have an impact on people's thinking, and from experience, whether I personally like it or not, the mainstream media in the West is very much capable of controlling how people think in relation to topics such as this. This amounts to a form of psychological warfare that is thus designed to become a "self-fulfilling prophecy" deliberately undermining Hong Kong itself.

Since early 2023 Hong Kong removed its strict COVID controls and has been open again to international tourism. One year later, it is reported that international arrivals only account for 60% of the pre-pandemic total. Predictably, the media have jumped to blame this on China and the national security law, although a closer inspection reveals that a more lingering factor has been the hamstringing of Cathay Pacific by COVID controls which has seen a dramatic cut in staff and therefore, a reduction in flights, which of course have had the impact of reducing supply and driving up prices. It undeniably takes time to recover from the severity of such COVID controls, as it is in mainland China too.

Now, the city is pushing where it can to drive up international tourist numbers again. While visitors from mainland China are always a given, clearly the city has a political point to prove in regaining its crown as "Asia's World City", a status the Western media are determined to take away. One interesting trend to observe, nonetheless, is the status of South Koreans visiting the city. In the year of 2023, the English wings of Korean media (which is heavily US skewered) pushed negative narratives claiming that Koreans are now staying away from Hong Kong owing to "Anti-China sentiment" and of course, to nobody's surprise, the impact of the national security law.

As the Korean JoongAng Daily claimed last year: "Korean travelers remain wary of traveling to Hong Kong" citing these factors. Similarly, The Korea Herald also claimed in that same period: "Travel demand to Hong Kong struggles amid anti-China sentiment." The article noted that in 2023, Korean travel to Hong Kong was only 28-35% of the pre-pandemic total, but in contrast, Thailand was already 80% of the total at that time, thus jumping to political conclusions. However, by 2024 this "narrative pushing" has not aged well.

As reported by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Korean travel to Hong Kong by January 2024 had in fact reached 84% of the pre-pandemic total. This report argued Koreans were still finding appeal in Hong Kong's unique urban environment, its "retro" feel and key to the point, because Korea was regional airfare to the city was affordable. Moreover, and contrary to the Western media propaganda, it noted that Koreans felt Hong Kong was in fact "safe" not safety related to politics, but personal safety in relation to matters such as crime or physical danger.

This statistic for me exposes some of the inherent opportunism that manifests in "Hong Kong decline" narratives pushed by the mainstream media, and is perhaps an indication that the city has not lost as much appeal as one would be made to believe, although I am less confident in respect to my own countrymen and Americans (given we are more propagandized, and also believe it more than other populations). Thus, it remains true that Hong Kong must fight to regain its image from the mainstream Western media after a turbulent few years, and getting tourism numbers back to normal will be a big part of that. With the challenges of the riots and the pandemic now over, Hong Kong should be placing all emphasis on re-establishing its image and soft power, adapting and aiming to thrive amidst this new hostility from the West, due to its unique economic and cultural legacy which is still autonomous from the mainland, it remains in a good position to do so.

The author is a well-seasoned writer and analyst with a large portfolio related to China topics, especially in the field of politics, international relations and more. He graduated with an Msc. in Chinese Studies from Oxford University in 2018.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.

Read more articles by Tom Fowdy:

Opinion | Israel's war of impunity

Opinion | China's economy is picking up, the media said it was finished

Opinion | How the British government plays 'the China card' tactically

Opinion | How the western media deliberately hypes HK's downfall