Why is Hong Kong worth visiting?
This cosmopolitan city, where both western and Asian influence is embedded into the culture of Hong Kong, is definitely not a place worth missing out on. A popular place in the hearts of tourists and locals, it is clear that there is so much this vibrant city has to offer.
Common Hong Kong tourist attractions and destinations
Hong Kong is home to countless extraordinary sights and attractions; below are just a few of the most popular destinations amongst tourists and locals alike.
Disneyland Hong Kong
Disneyland Hong Kong is ‘the happiest place on earth’ right here; the well-known theme park where childhood Disney memories can be relived. The park consists of seven different themed areas, which include Toy Story Land, Fantasyland and more. There are various kinds of roller coasters and other rides, eg. Space Mountain and Grizzly Gulch. Spending a day at Disneyland with families and friends makes this a perfect experience, but make sure to stay for the dazzling fireworks which appear at night!
Hong Kong’s observation wheel
The 60 m Ferris wheel provides stunning views of Victoria Harbour and Central, especially on late nights. The whole circuit takes around half an hour from the start to the end, giving tourists and locals more than enough time inside the cabins to enjoy the magnificent views whilst snapping remarkable shots of Hong Kong. Furthermore, it’s air-conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter, which many may find comforting to hear about.
Temple Street Night market
This is the place to go when the sun goes down. Numerous small stalls open in the liveliness of the night and tourists come to purchase traditional, minimalistic jewellery as well as the signature I ❤ HK t-shirts. In contrast, locals tend to visit this nighttime hotspot to consult fortune-tellers.
Hong Kong’s historic hidden gems
The Hong Kong Tourism Board launched the ‘Holiday at Home’ campaign in 2020 with the aim of urging Hong Kongers to rediscover the city’s hidden gems and boost the current struggling tourism industry.
Over 50 attractions and shops have chosen to take part in this historical campaign in places across Yau Ma Tei, Jordan and the West Kowloon District to where classic crafts, eateries and arts are located.
One of the many businesses taking part in this campaign is Liu Miu Kee, which has been producing fermented bean curd and other traditional sauces ever since the 1920s. Jay Liu Fong Yip, the shop owner, stated that even though sales had improved slightly at the beginning of the pandemic as people tried to stockpile their sauces, unfortunately, sales had dropped after that.
How Covid-19 has impacted the tourism industry and on tourists
It is clear that the impact Covid-19 has had on both the tourists and the tourism industry is huge, as sadly tourists have hardly been able to travel to Hong Kong.
Last year, 88 Hong Kong travel agencies had to close down due to the ongoing rage of the Covid-19 pandemic to which other agencies have shrunk, cut branches and moved to sharing premises or offices. “We never imagined business for the whole of 2020 to end in this way,” Taiwan Good Travel Company’s officer claimed. The number of travel agencies that closed down represented 5% of the city’s total number in 2019; only 1,734 remained by December.
Last September, the Council relaxed their rules and started allowing up to 7 travel firms in terms of sharing premises to share the space amongst each other to save costs. The council claimed that the sector was in terrible need of economic support which could ideally come from the government, and that cross border, as well as international travel, is not expected to resume by this year.
The arrivals of tourists to Hong Kong have decreased by 93.6% to just 3.57 million arrivals, and this had already been previously affected due to the political situation. This figure is shockingly low compared to the figures from 2018 to which there had been 65.1 million visitors that had come to Hong Kong.
Sources:
Writer: Bernice Lau
Editor: Anvita Verma
Artist: Joyce Liang
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