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Outside In | Boost Hong Kong’s tourism appeal with easy access to all of the Greater Bay Area
- Driving from Hong Kong to the mainland remains a luxury limited to a tiny minority of Hongkongers because of the many permits and permissions needed
- Such obstacles are also a hindrance to tourism. Visitors might find a trip to Hong Kong more attractive if it could include taking in sights in southern China
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Let me recall a few past holidays. I fly into London Heathrow, take an airport bus to the car rental park and rent a car. Within an hour of landing, I am driving off to England’s west country or Stratford-upon-Avon to see a Shakespeare performance. Perhaps I catch a connecting flight to Edinburgh or a train up to York.
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Maybe in San Francisco, after a few days of scouring the city sights, I hire a car and drive down the coast to Monterey, taking a diversion into Yosemite National Park. In Geneva, I take a train over to Chamonix for a spot of skiing and a glimpse of Mont Blanc. From Sydney, I take a car into the Blue Mountains or up into the Hunter Valley for some wine tasting.
Now let’s take a tourist family flying into Hong Kong. Where do they go? After a few days visiting the Big Buddha, Disneyland, Ocean Park and Temple Street market, where next? I am reminded of the maps I used to see in the 1980s hanging in the offices of British colonial officials. Beyond the Shenzhen River, the map was blank.
Even today, our hinterland remains terra incognita for a large proportion of Hong Kong residents. How will this ever change when the barriers to free movement are set so high, even for a simple holiday weekend break?
By contrast, my daughter now living in London jumps in the car most weekends to visit friends in Bristol, Cornwall, Leicester or Manchester, do some hiking in the Peak District or take a canal boat through the Norfolk Broads.
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China's ambitious plan to develop it own ‘Greater Bay Area’
China's ambitious plan to develop it own ‘Greater Bay Area’
I was reminded last week of the sharp contrast between our hermit containment and other people’s comfortable connection with their hinterlands when I read of camping blogger Bobo Chan and her daughter’s excitement at the prospect of taking a camping trip to neighbouring Guangdong province.
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