These are from what are called the “Long Haul Markets”

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Why are Western Foreigners | Tourists not visiting Hong Kong?

These are visitors from what the Hong Kong Tourism Board calls the “Long Haul Markets” for statistical purposes

In Hong Kong for tourism statistics purposes the Hong Kong Tourism Board lists the following countries as “Long Haul Markets” These countries have have been a large source of visitors to Hong Kong for 50 years or more.

USA

Canada

United Kingdom

France

Germany

Australia

+ places like New Zealand and smaller European Countries

I was a pioneer of Private Tours of Hong Kong, putting up my website in 2010 and doing my first tour in April of 2011, I completed 2,324 private tours of Hong Kong before Covid in January 2020 destroyed my business as Hong Kong was literally closed to tourists | visitors for 3 years.

I am a founder member of a Society of Private Tour Guides in Hong Kong, the best of the best if you like (!) and we communicate daily on a WhatsApp Group.

Recently my friends have been making comments about the lack of Western Tourists coming to Hong Kong and when we stopped to think about it, it is true despite the misleading statistics from the Hong Kong Tourism Board and to out it bluntly it has been 18 months since Hong Kong re - opened for business so to speak.

If you refer to the tables above you have the arrival statistics for June 2024 and the statistics for the entire year 2018 which we as a group use as the best comparison year, pre - protests and pre - covid, it is the gold standard we use to measure all other years.

For a decade now 80% (roughly) of all visitors coming to Hong Kong have come from Mainland China and you will be surprised to know that they need permits | visa’s to visit Hong Kong, so the Government often gives off the vibes that any shortfall in foreign tourists can be more than covered by visitors from China - if only it was that simple.

Is Hong Kong not one of the World’s great International Cities and a major tourist destination for the past 50+ years?

The problem is that if you look at 2024 for the first 6 months it seems to be very positive, arrivals showing a 100% increase over the same period in 2023 which of course is meaningless as Hong Kong did not really open for tourism business until March 2023 - because of Covid, Hong Kong was effectively isolated from the world for 3 years.

My friends are right though, it simply does not feel right or normal at the moment, the fact remains, I personally cannot see any huge increase in arrivals from the Long Haul Markets anytime soon, it is nice to be optimistic but sometimes reality must be considered, visitor arrivals from the USA in particular are going to be SIGNIFICANTLY lower than 2018, the last normal year for Hong Kong Tourism.

Until 2024 is finished it is hard to speculate as to what any shortfall in tourists looks like compared to 2018 and whether it is a short term or long term trend

There have been many comments from a multitude of sources over the past year but as I recall quite a few industry experts contacted for comment have stated that Hong Kong will not see huge levels of tourism (excluding Mainland China) until 2025 at the earliest.

That seems a reasonable and logical assumption and based on June 2024 tourism stats, that appears to be the case.

So some of the main reasons why we are supposedly been snubbed by travellers from the Long Haul Markets - USA, Great Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand to name a few.

• Lack of flights to and from Hong Kong

• Political Concerns or “twisted perceptions” as reported in Hong Kong

• Airline Tickets are simply too expensive which is related to the lack of flights

Not a big list really but enough to deter people that‛s for sure, but is it really that simple?

The devastating retail situation in Hong Kong is not caused by foreign visitors, for too long now Hong Kong retailers have relied on Mainland Chinese Tourists to spend large amounts of money on brand name products and such, times have changed and for many reasons now, the big spending tourists from the Mainland now purchase elsewhere and have been replaced by more “budget” minded tourists.

I do feel for the retail sector but like us minions in the Travel Industry you simply have to adapt to changing circumstances.

I should point out at this stage that the Hong Kong Tourism Board issued 500,000 free airline tickets in Mid 2023, one year on and there is still no official comment from the relevant Government Departments on the success or failure of the campaign, we presume it had no real impact on increasing visitor numbers, the silence is deafening.

The elephant in the room so to speak are the political concerns, this is not just an issue for American visitors but for all Long Haul Markets including most European Countries, Australia, New Zealand, Canada etc

The simple fact is that although the protests in 2019 were a big issue, that was supplanted by Covid.

Now the issue is simply the negative reporting in the long haul market countries regarding the National Security Law or NSL, this has been front page news almost weekly since the law was implemented and not to mention the Travel Alerts issued by the Governments of the Long Haul Market countries, it gives a wholly damaging vibe about Hong Kong that the whole telling of “good stories” seems to be pointless at this time.

… yes, our Government Ministers want the Hong Kong residents to tell “good stories” to all and sundry, which I might add as a good idea, if you visit Hong Kong you will see that a lot of overseas reporting about Hong Kong is simply incorrect, I live here and have done for 52 years, I should know.

I am also pleased to report that finally our Government recognises that foreigners perceptions of Hong Kong (from the Long Haul Markets) are quite negative hence the current charm offensive - visitors from Asia and the Middle East are a lot less concerned about visiting Hong Kong, that is a cultural thing.

It is not just the Hong Kong NSL, there is an even bigger elephant in the room (more like a herd) which is the “Long Haul Markets” view of China as a country, one can say that relations are strained with all the major countries for any number of reasons and all the bombast regarding issues with Taiwan and the Philippines is surely not helping matters.

….and yes, everyone knows Hong Kong is part of China so it is natural for people to make assumptions and it means they may visit other Asian Countries like Singapore and Thailand instead.

So for me anyway it is safe to assume that the “twisted perceptions” and “political concerns” affect the airlines who can only increase flights when the demand is there, they are not in the business of running half empty planes.

Like I said I like the idea of telling “good stories” but it seems pointless when every day there are just very negative vibes being reported in the 24 hour news cycle | social media and not just about Hong Kong and China, there are many hot spots around the world but amazingly people still like to travel!! Although I reserve judgement on the Doreamon mega event as being a major attraction that will draw zillions of well heeled tourists here. (this is a Hong Kong insider joke!)

Just another day in the online press, it just seems all very negative at the moment.

Those of us that are older lived under the threat of the West | Russia nuclear war scenario for decades, (I was 21 months old when the Cuban Missile Crisis kicked off) these days any talk of nuclear war is passed over for the latest Tik Tok video, Instagram Hidden Gems reels and all the made up nonsense on social media not to mention the inane postings of celebrity influencers whose life cycle depends on wearing less clothes, extra pouty duck lips and saying totally outrageous lies just for another “like”

Times have changed.

Skift - a primary source for Travel News mentioned this on August 12th 2024

So maybe it is just a case of the world has a case of “stark raving madness” that is the issue and maybe things will settle down in 6 months, who the hell knows but the numbers do not lie and it will be interesting to compare 2024 Hong Kong Tourism Statistics to the gold standard of 2018 statistics.

I have to say I much rather enjoyed life prior to the Internet taking over the world, things have become really screwed up of late and I just hope it is a minor bump in the road.

Below is just a partial list of my private tour guests and their rather diverse occupations, I completed 2,324 Private Tours of Hong Kong in just 9 years with almost 60% of these private tours being 6 - 8 hours long and the ability to talk to so many wonderful people from all walks of life is a gift I acquired, I had over 6,000 guests, not bad for one person!

I have done private tours with so many wonderful people who have the following diverse occupations:-

A REAL Princess, Very close relatives of a US President!, One Star Admiral of the US 7th Fleet, Nuclear Missile Operations Officer (Missileer) for the USAF, Plumbers, Postman, Supplier of ALL frozen burger pattie’s to McDonalds, Nuclear Sub Commanders, Farmers, Chip Shop Owner, Teachers, Pulitzer Prize Award Winning Journalists, Photocopier Repair Guys, Lawyers, Rocket Scientists, Movie Producers, Consul Generals, Police Officers, Homicide Detectives, Travel Agents, House Keepers, Linguists, Retired and Serving CIA Officers, Fighter Pilots, Army and Navy Guys, Socialites, Students, Judges, Journalists, Software Geeks, Nuclear Power Plant Inspectors, Surgeons, Doctors, Forensic Pathologists, Nurses, Coroners, Venture Capitalists, Hospice Directors, Town Planners, Accountants, Psychiatrists, Nuclear Physicists, Professional Athletes, Ferry Captains, Commercial Pilots, Airline Crew, Social Workers, Veterinarians, Musicians, Theme Park Executives, Professional Photographers, College Professors, Gaming Geeks, Inland Revenue Tax Officials, American Airforce B 52 Bomber Pilot, Senior Engineer / Ballistic Missiles, Bodyguards, Beer Salesmen, Park Rangers, Scuba Diving Instructors, Popcorn Machines Makers, Coastguard Officers, Firemen, Structural Geologists, Veterinarians, Architects, Surveyors, Hooters Waitress, Dentists, Ski Instructors, Civil Engineers, Air Traffic Controllers, Electricians, Top Law Professor's at major US Universities, Librarians, Steel Guys, Economists, Homemakers, Novelists, Book Publishers, Currency Traders, Carpenters, a Rabbi, Boiler Maker, Strawberry Farmers, Food Bloggers, Morticians, Financial Advisers, Corporate Video Makers, Private Investigators, Bounty Hunters, Chiropractors, Air Traffic Controllers, Builders, Stonemasons, Botanists, Dog Sitters, Spy, Geneticists, Interpol Agents, Prison Food Suppliers, Radio Announcers, Military Cryptologists, Forklift Drivers, Locksmiths, Icecream maker, Pastry Chef, Baker, Zoo Keepers, Explosives Experts, DEA Agents, Coffee Traders, Diamond Buyers, Wedding Photographers, Google Guru's, Geologists, Professor of Medieval History, Navy Chef's, Camp Site Operators, Animal Embalmers, Telecomms Engineers, Helicopter Pilots, Oil Industry Divers, Navy Seals, Editor for USA Today, Landscape Gardeners, Mary Kay Super Agents, Hotel Owners, TV Actors, Optometrists, Gourmet Chef's, Acclaimed Plastic Surgeons, Barristers, Travel Bloggers, Politicians, Funeral Home Directors, Former Gang Member, Anthropologist, Children's Book Author,  Geophysicist, Chicken Artist, Priest, Movie Makeup Artist, Expert Witness, Bail Bondsman, Opera Singer, Master Brewer, Child Prodigy, Debt Collector, Victoria Secrets Store Manager, Head of a major Charity, Celebrity TV Talking Heads (!), Fortune 500 CEO's, Corporate Trainer, Futures Trader, Waitress (quite a few) General Manager of a Worm Bait Company, Owner of a RV Dealership, Convenience Store Owner, Owner of an Amusement Game Manufacturer, Elephant Conservationists, Chemist, High School Students, Crematorium Operator, Concert Pianist, Vet from Honduras, Hair Stylist for a Funeral Home, Calendar Maker, Pedicab Operator, Poets, F16 Fighter Pilot USAF, Steve Jobs Doctor, Major US Democratic Politician, Big cheese Executives from HBO and CBS, Famous journalist and a Journalism Professor, former Secret Service Agent, Famous Rare Coin and Stamp Collector, Major Charitable Foundation Owner ... and some really, really senior people from J. P. Morgan, Starbucks, United Airlines, Boeing, Google and Microsoft.

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J3 Consultants Private Hong Kong Experiences are tailored for individuals who prefer to explore Hong Kong independently but would like a Hong Kong Expert to tell them about Hong Kong

This unique experience offers an authentic insight into the real Hong Kong, providing a deeper understanding of the city's culture, history, and local way of life.

Led by Jamie, a dedicated Hong Kong specialist and resident for 52 years, the experience covers many aspects of Hong Kong's identity, spanning its time under both British and Chinese rule.

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Jamie, your friend in Hong Kong

52 years living in Hong Kong, our family arrived on January 2nd 1972

I have lived here for 25 years under British Rule, 27 years under Chinese Rule

I have 45 years of Business Consultancy experience in Hong Kong

My wife is a local & has lived her entire life in Hong Kong, her first language is Cantonese

We have 3 Adult sons all born in Hong Kong, 2 still live here and 1 in the UK

I pioneered the Private Tour Industry in Hong Kong in 2010

2,324 completed award winning Private Tours of Hong Kong from 2011 - 2020

……and yes, I am a bit of an expert on the Hong Kong car culture!

© Jamie Lloyd | J3 Consultants Hong Kong | J3 Private Tours Hong Kong | | 2011 - 2024.

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