Tourism gets a $1.23 billion boost to regain Hong Kong’s previous glory

Mark Pinkstone/Former Chief Information Officer of HK government

Hong Kong – the Pearl of the Orient – is on a roll and is rapidly regaining its position as a major tourist destination. Last year it received 44.5 million visitors, an increase of 30.9 per cent over the previous year.

And it started this year with 4.74 million visitors in January, up 24 per cent over the same period in 2024. This is a vast improvement after COVID and the 2019-20 riots which in March 2022 saw an all-time low of only 1,800 visitors.

Tourism is one of the major pillars to Hong Kong’s economy, a point not missed by the Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po when he proposed $1.23 billion for the industry during his budget speech on Wednesday.

In his speech he revealed how things can be done to entice more people to come to Hong Kong and stay longer. For example, he talked of close collaboration within the industry and cited a three-year global strategic partnership agreement with Art Basel to establish immersive experience zones of Hong Kong culture in all four annual Art Basel shows around the world, thus “strengthening Hong Kong’s connection with the global art scene.”

Other ideas to promote distinctive tourism products could include eco-tourism, panda tourism, horse-racing tourism, etc.. Golf was another element. “We will adopt a more strategic approach in continuously attracting sports events which can bring significant economic benefits to Hong Kong and are in discussion with LIV Golf which has been held in Hong Kong for two consecutive years to explore long-term partnership,” he said.

The cruise line business is picking up with some 30 super liners making port calls to Hong Kong last year and bringing in some 330,000 passengers to Hong Kong. This is 12 more cruise liners than in 2023.

The Financial Secretary said he has earmarked resources to strengthen support to the cruise industry, encouraging cruise lines to increase their number of ship calls to Hong Kong, make overnight calls and use Hong Kong as the homeport. “We will provide cruise lines with more concessions to attract cruise ships to berth at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal during the low season,” he said.

An important part of the industry is MICE – Meetings, Inventive travel, Conventions and Exhibitions – which is expected to bring about 183 000 additional visitors spending about $1.4 billion. Hong Kong has secured the hosting rights of the prestigious Lions International Convention in 2026, one of the world's largest service club events. With an estimated 20,000 attendees from over the globe expected to descend upon the city, this annual gathering of Lions Clubs International members promises to be a truly global and significant event.

The Lions International convention is indicative of the capacity Hong Kong has for hosting major events while catering to a daily flow of about 134,000 visitors from the mainland and other places.

With mainland visitors being our bread and butter and constitute the bulk of arrivals, the Central Government has resumed the multiple-entry Individual Visit Endorsements for Shenzhen permanent residents and expanding the arrangement to Shenzhen residence permit holders. Since the implementation of the new measure, more than 700 000 visitors have travelled to Hong Kong on multiple-entry Individual Visit Endorsements. The Central Government has also increased the duty-free allowance for returnees from Hong Kong to the mainland. This decision is expected to generate at least $17.6 billion for the city’s coffers. On average, mainland visitors spend about 3.1 nights in Hong Kong and spend an average of $5,400 per capita.

But as the Central Government relaxes travel for its citizens, the flood gates open for other destinations, mainly in Southeast Asia, to bid for their business. For Hong Kong to maintain this market, more effort is needed in the service sector to improve their attitude towards our neighbours. Service with a smile… always!

Hong Kong cannot rely heavily on the mainland market; it is too easy because of the help from the Central Government. The second number of visitors come from Southeast Asia, and more can be done to tantalise their interest in Hong Kong.

Mark Pinkstone

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

So, US President Donald Trump is going to ask China to release former media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, currently facing sedition and collusion charges in Hong Kong, during the trade negotiation talks in Switzerland this weekend, according to international news agency, Reuters.

There is little chance of that ever happening. In the whole scheme of world conflicts and international trade negotiations, the trial of a Hong Kong man on sedition charges pales into insignificance. Just a leaf in a tea cup. And even if it did come up during the hard talk negotiations, the Chinese side will simply ignore it.

British-based Reuters boasts a readership of more than one billion people a day and is used by some 750 television broadcasters covering 115 countries. Yes, it does have reach and is influential. But it is also biased, like most of the western media towards China and Hong Kong.

Indeed, the Reuters release was picked up by most of the world’s media.  Bloomberg quoted Trump from the release’s account of a radio interview: “I think talking about Jimmy Lai is a very good idea. We’ll put it down and we’ll put it as part of the negotiations.”

Trump was responding to a question put by Republican political commentator Hugh Hewitt on his Hughniverse podcast on May 7.

During the negotiations on Hong Kong’s future in the 1980s, Reuters moved its regional headquarters from Hong Kong to Singapore as it had no faith in Hong Kong’s future. It still doesn’t, even though Hong Kong has fought off adversaries and doomsday prophets with a shield of truth and perseverance. The story of Hong Kong’s triumphs and successes have been retold many times.

Reuters reports: “The trial of Lai – a long-standing critic of the Chinese Communist Party – has shone a spotlight on a sweeping crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong following China’s imposition of a national security law in Hong Kong in 2020.”

The writers, both Hong Kong residents, were in Hong Kong and witnessed the bloody riots that prevailed at the time, but chose to side with the dissidents and their reportage thereafter has been colored by their own emotions. Gone are the days of balanced, unbiased reporting, especially with such a reputable news organization.

But the story is continually fuelled by Lai’s son, Sebastien and his public relations team of barristers at Doughty Street Chambers in London.

On World Press Freedom Day last week, Fox News devoted a segment to Sebastien who noted that in 1995 Lai senior founded Apple Daily…which quickly “became a beacon for free speech.”  Every Hong Konger knows that Apple Daily was launched on a platform of sex, gossip and more sex. It was a sleaze newspaper, known in the west as the “yellow press.”  In its early days it had no political bias. It was not until he ran foul with the Beijing authorities over regulations concerning his Giordano store that his attitude changed towards Beijing and anything relating to authority.

Sebastien summed up his father as “an immigrant who never quite fit in.”

In this final plea, Sebastien sought the release of his father, even before a verdict has been reached in his trial, so that he “can leave Hong Kong and be with his family.”

Lai faces three charges: two counts of collusion with a foreign country or with external elements to endanger national security and one count of conspiracy to publish a seditious publication.

Jimmy Lai wrapped up his testimony on March 6 after taking the witness stand for 52 days. The trial is set to hear closing arguments on August 14, which are expected to last eight days.

But again, the western press smeared the judiciary before the trial even began. The infamous BBC lauded: “Mr Lai cannot expect a fair trial in today’s Hong Kong…”

It quoted Doughty Street barrister Jonathan Price, a member of Lai’s so-called international legal team saying that the fundamental principle of the rule of law in Hong Kong has eroded and that “everybody knows there’s only going to be one result.”

Mr Price, his colleagues in Doughty Street Chambers and the BBC should be reminded that Hong Kong’s judiciary ranks No.23 out of the 142 jurisdictions in the authoritative World Justice Project last year and even higher ratings in World Economic Forum earlier findings.