Hong Kong service workers told to smile more to attract tourists

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Hong Kong’s summer tourism campaign features a shop assistant finding film star Louis Koo a shoe that fits, a taxi driver assisting passengers with their luggage and a barista handing a customer a coffee emblazoned with a smiley face.

This courtesy, authorities say, is what is lacking in Hong Kong’s service industries — and reversing a popular perception of the city’s brusque manner, they hope, could help draw back tourists and revive its floundering economy.

“We should smile more, we should be more courteous, we should be more helpful,” Hong Kong chief executive John Lee said when the campaign was rolled out in June.

While the Chinese territory has in the past promoted an image of a “friendly” Hong Kong, the new campaign focuses not on potential visitors but on the city’s own service workers, promoting training resources and education in schools, promotional videos and on television and social media.

The drive, dubbed “Let’s Go the Extra Mile”, comes as the Chinese territory tries to reclaim its status as a global financial hub following Beijing’s political crackdown on its civil liberties, as well as energise an anaemic post-pandemic economic recovery.

Poor service had “tarnished” Hong Kong’s image, said Kevin Yeung, the city’s culture, sports and tourism minister, blaming “a handful of black sheep, which has damaged the reputation [of] our frontline workers”.

Many tourists have voiced their displeasure with poor service on forums such as Chinese social media app Xiaohongshu, where mainland users trade travel tips, and which is closely followed by Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing politicians.

“Bad attitude among taxi drivers is common,” said Wilson Lau, an accountant and Hong Kong resident. “I’ve had experiences of taxi drivers complaining to my face during a ride that my trip was ‘too short’ and I should not have taken a taxi.”

Helene Han, a Shanghai executive who was making a business trip to Hong Kong, said she was shocked by the “appalling” attitude of a Hong Kong hotel receptionist when she phoned about a specific room type. After her room request was denied, “the receptionist just said ‘don’t call again’”.

Mainland Chinese arrivals account for more than 70 per cent of Hong Kong’s tourist arrivals. But many mainland Chinese visitors did not stay long, said Natixis senior economist Gary Ng.

Monthly arrivals were still about 40 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels, holding back a recovery in an industry that contributed about 4.8 per cent of the city’s economy last year, he added.

“Hong Kong will need long-term planning and vision in positioning itself in tourism rather than throwing ideas all around,” Ng said.

To the authorities’ chagrin, tourism has been flowing in the opposite direction: better service and cheaper prices in southern China have prompted more Hongkongers to make weekend trips across the border. Hong Kong residents made more than 900,000 trips to mainland China over the Dragon Boat Festival long weekend in June, official data showed.

As part of its latest tourism push, Hong Kong aims to host more than 200 “mega events” including conferences, sports competitions, exhibitions and summits this year. A government spokesperson did not specify the cost of the “Let’s Go the Extra Mile” campaign.

But the city faces travel advisories from countries including the UK, US, Canada and Australia over a sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020, which has in effect wiped out political dissent in the city. Hong Kong added its own tough security legislation this year.

“I am not sure politeness really affects tourism for Hong Kong,” said Chong Ja Ian, an associate professor of political science at the National University of Singapore. “In the past, Hong Kong’s cosmopolitanism and openness was a big draw.”

For some tourists, civility is the least of their concerns. “It’s one of the most expensive cities in the world,” said Jussi Jokinen, a tourist from Finland. “People are really cost conscious at the moment.”