A local broadcaster has debuted a Tourism Board-supported television show promoting Hong Kong as a welcoming city, part of an official “courtesy campaign” to boost the ailing tourism industry.
The show, called “Undercover Service Squad,” aired on Sunday on the local channel HOY TV. Described as a reality programme, the eight-episode show followed hosts praising the “sincere attitude” of business owners while visiting tourist attractions such as the Aberdeen Pier and Tai Mo Shan.
Simon Wong, chairperson of the Quality Tourism Services Association, said the programme could highlight high-quality services in the city, benefitting customers, businesses, and the society, according to Ming Pao.
The show’s debut comes a week after finance chief Paul Chan announced in the annual budget speech that the city had earmarked HK$1.09 billion to boost tourism. He said that the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) would be responsible for “coming up with ideas” for promoting tourism.
On Sunday, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said on a Commercial Radio programme that the city’s “courtesy campaign” was a bid to consolidate Hong Kong as an international tourism hub and a “hospitable metropolis.”
He said that visitors came to the city not only to visit tourist attractions, but also liked to explore neighbourhoods such as Sham Shui Po and the Central and Western district.
“Nowadays tourists could enter our communities like ordinary residents, therefore every Hongkonger needs to be aware that they may encounter tourists on a daily basis,” Yeung said in Cantonese.
Yeung added that authorities were planning cross-departmental collaboration to expand the courtesy campaign.
‘Soft-sell Hong Kong’
Hong Kong is seeking to revive the tourism sector as part of its post-pandemic recovery. Arrival numbers have risen since Hong Kong’s Covid travel curbs were lifted last March, led by visitors from mainland China. Spending, however, has lagged.
Initiatives aimed at boosting tourism were among the highlights in Chan’s budget address last week. The city will host monthly fireworks displays and drone shows – the first of which will be in May or June at the earliest – as well as promote outdoor activities including hiking and cycling.
Authorities also plan to revamp the nightly light-and-sound show A Symphony of Lights. Meanwhile, the Development Bureau will introduce shops and restaurants at some harbourfront locations.
“It’s all part of an energising effort to soft-sell Hong Kong,” Chan said in Cantonese.
Chan added that the Quality Tourism Services Scheme, an existing scheme by the HKTB to recognise businesses’ “high standards of product quality and service,” would be enhanced. “We want to promote Hong Kong as a hospitable, people-focused city,” he said.
See also: Over HK$1.1 billion to ‘soft sell’ city, including monthly drone and fireworks shows
Tourist spending in Hong Kong is expected to drop 16 per cent this year despite a 35 per cent uptick in arrivals – to 46 million visitors – according to government figures. In 2018, Hong Kong saw 65.15 million total arrivals.
The city’s tourism industry was hampered by years-long pandemic restrictions, which saw travellers having to quarantine at hotels for up to three weeks and undergo multiple Covid-19 tests.
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