Letters | Why Southeast Asia is a better bet for Hong Kong tourism

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It’s no secret that Hong Kong has struggled to revive its tourism industry after the pandemic and other social challenges. For the first 10 months of this year, visitor arrivals rose to 36.7 million, up 37 per cent year on year. But this is still some way below the 50 million recorded for the corresponding period in 2019.

Across Southeast Asia, countries are experiencing promising recoveries with Thailand in particular anticipating nearly 36 million foreign tourists this year, just a little shy of the 2019 total – and expected to exceed the pre-pandemic record next year. Last year, Thailand’s leading Central Plaza Hotel Public Company Limited enjoyed a 214 per cent profit jump.

It’s not that Hong Kong’s government isn’t trying. It launched the politeness campaign “Let’s Go the Extra Mile” to encourage the city to be more welcoming, organised air ticket giveaways and invited influencers. It set aside HK$1.09 billion (US$139 million) in the budget to boost tourism.

But it might be time to think outside the box. Hong Kong’s traditional focus on tourists from wealthier nations is becoming less effective as more Western nations turn away from China, even introducing travel advisories for Hong Kong.