Etiquette campaign can help ease tension between Hong Kong people and mainland tourists

Ever since the introduction of the individual visit scheme, Hong Kong has been caught in a social conflict between its locals and tourists from mainland China. Speaking loudly, negligently rolling luggage over the feet of others, and pushing to the front of the line are just some of the complaints locals make about stereotypical mainland tourist behaviour.

While this observation may be unfair, as locals can act just as inconsiderately, the sheer influx of mainland tourists in the city raises fears that Hong Kong may soon lose its identity and become a typical Chinese city.

Most mainland tourists have no intention of being rude; they simply see no reason to act any differently here. Yong Chen, a tourism researcher at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, was quoted as saying that most "bad" tourists did not set out to be "bad"; they were just being themselves, behaving as they would at home.

Is there a simple way to reduce the social tension?

The Tokyo Metro offers an idea. For three years from 2008, posters featuring illustrations by graphic artist Bunpei Yorifuji lined its stations and trains. One memorable series came with the headline, "Please do it at home". It was a campaign to educate people on proper etiquette, such as avoiding loud conversations, and not taking up more space than they need. The popular posters depicting socially unacceptable public behaviour have served as an entertaining reminder to both tourists and locals alike.

Here in Hong Kong, the recent Face of Litter poster campaign, showing portraits created from the DNA on litter, has provoked numerous conversations and is seen as creating positive social change, proving that awareness campaigns can work if applied creatively.