Hong Kong tourism has been slow to return to pre-pandemic levels. While mainland China figures are recovering fairly rapidly, Western visitors have yet to follow suit. Last year saw travellers from the United States and Europe at around half the levels of 2019. UK travellers were only around 40 per cent.
It is clear that recovery will be slow going. Many factors are at play.
It is difficult to ignore the damage that pandemic controls had on Hong Kong. Travellers were forced to spend up to three weeks in hotel quarantine or even in isolation facilities like Penny’s Bay. A cancelled flight, change in policy or positive test upended travel plans. In some cases sick children were separated from parents.
This triggered an exodus that…
