'Go Extra Mile' with 'more smile' is what Hong Kong is advising its residents in order to revive tourism

Hong Kong, the special administrative region of China, has asked its residents to “smile more” in order to attract tourists.

The city is still struggling to revive its thriving tourism industry post-pandemic and after the Beijing-influenced crackdown on city’s civil liberties.

The best plan that authorities come up with is: be less rude and smile more.

The Hong Kong government on June 3 launched a campaign titled “Let’s Go the Extra Mile”, which aims to promote hospitality and boost the city’s position as a top tourist destination, according to reports by Hong Kong media outlets.

Speaking at a press conference on June 4, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Leeurged residents to be more courteous and helpful, to smile more, and to “go the extra mile to promote Hong Kong’s hospitality”.

The tourism secretary Kevin Yeung said there are a “handful of black sheep that tarnishes our image."

Unfriendly service staff at Hong Kong restaurants, once viewed as a charming hallmark of the city, has increasingly been described as a turn-off for tourists, as per a survey.

Rudeness topped the list of complaints about the city’s taxi industry.

On Monday, Yeung announced a multi-department effort to reverse this reputation.

The Education Bureau will promote programmes to teach courtesy to students, while the Home Affairs Department will organise community activities to encourage friendliness, with potential reward schemes for “good performance.”

Yeung also announced that authorities will share a series of video clips urging residents to “go the extra mile” to promote the city’s hospitality and to volunteer at visitor centres.

Hong Kong saw a significant revival in tourist arrival numbers since travel resumed in 2023 after the pandemic, as per South China Morning Post.

There were 11.23 million visitor arrivals in the first quarter of 2024, a 154 per cent increase year on year.

Hong Kong had 34 million visitors in 2023, 55.9 million in 2019 and 65.1 million in 2018.

This is not the first time that Hong Kong has tried to solve its perceived “rudeness” attitude.

Similar politeness campaigns were launched in the 1990s and early 2000s as well.

But the Covid-19 severely impacted the city’s charm to attract tourists, which also coincided with Hong Kong’s shifting political landscape, when pro-democracy protests of 2019 were quashed by Beijing.

(With inputs from agencies)