A tourism tale of 3 cities: Tokyo thrives, Macau lures mainland Chinese visitors, while Hong Kong waits to shake off Covid blues
- PCR test rule, slow visa process put off mainland visitors to Hong Kong, say industry players
- More Hong Kong residents went away than visitors arrived after Covid restrictions were lifted
There is Cantonese in the air in neon-lit Shinjuku and Shibuya. The Hongkongers are unmistakable in the throng of foreigners and locals in the bustling Tokyo districts famous for good food, eclectic shops or simply hanging out.
Here, and elsewhere in the Japanese capital, there are plenty of signs that visitors have come back, from Thailand, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States too, even if tourism is not yet where it was before Covid-19 struck.
At Macau’s Ruins of St Paul’s and Senado Square, both favourites of visitors to the gaming hub, the Mandarin being spoken suggests mainland Chinese visitors have returned, thanks to the easing of border restrictions.
And then there is Hong Kong. The city’s devastated tourism industry has fallen behind destinations it used to compete with for visitors. Japan and Macau, as well as Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, are already reaping the benefits of easing Covid-19 measures earlier.
More visitors arrived in Hong Kong after the city reopened its borders with the mainland on January 8, but they made up only 10 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the city welcomed 56 million visitors, nearly four-fifths of them from the mainland.
Hong Kong authorities have big plans to lure visitors back, but can they catch up with Japan and Macau, and how quickly? The Post checked out the competition and spoke to industry players in the city to find out.