There has been quite a bit of angst in certain quarters about Hong Kong no longer being the tourist beacon it once was, and even cross-boundary traffic is now favoring Hong Kong residents flocking to Shenzhen and other mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) for shopping and leisure rather than mainland residents coming to Hong Kong for the same. The recent Costco superstore craze over the border is just one example of a new shopping magnet for Hong Kong residents seeking a bargain against a cost-of-living rise. Many things cost less on the other side of the GBA. With the increasing ease with which people can pass smoothly back and forth, this shopping traffic is only likely to increase.

So does that mean “game over” for our tourism industry in Hong Kong going forward? I think that depends on us — we have the power and capability, under “one country, two systems”, to change things positively and address the pressing issues facing our city. It is not just about extant policy. It is about the attitude among our people and entrepreneurs, business elites, and the movers and shakers that abound in our city and even down to the essential warmth of welcome (or lack of it) that the fabulous Hong Kong public has on display to the world and our compatriots over the border. There are opportunities open to us that are not available on the mainland, and we must first ensure that we recognize them as such, and second, that when they are beneficial, we seize them without hesitation as they are so often very transient.

There is a complex set of reasons why things have changed since 2019 and why tourism and talent influx have taken such a hit. These range from the social unrest caused by insurrection to the impact, or legacy, of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a geopolitical complexity that is now more unpredictable than ever. Admittedly, a significant factor is the misperceptions surrounding the National Security Law for Hong Kong (NSL), which has returned peace and stability to the city. With the Article 23 legislation now having been “done and dusted”, one hopes the focus of the commentariat can move to other equally important and pressing matters such as people feeling good about Hong Kong again. The inherent nature of evolving societies makes it impossible for things to stay the same. All is in a state of flux at some level. The trick is to anticipate and act so that progressive policy drives the agenda as much as possible, rather than external forces usually outside our control.

Of course, ultimately, the key is to ensure more people come in than go out, and that those who come from wherever in the world spend more, stay longer, and have a memorable time with exciting and enticing experiences that make them want to come back for more. Creating a more-welcoming Hong Kong is also needed to stem the bleeding of expatriate and mainland talent. We should take the long-term view of creating an attractive and stable environment for them to decide to invest their own and their families’ futures here. This strategy would improve our long-term economic, cultural and livability prospects.

So let us keep driving on the left, keep the wigs on our independent judiciary, have our own currency and exchange rates, have our Cheung Chau Bun Festival, manic dragon boat races, Happy Valley horse races, and all those other things, both small and large, that keep us as enticing as our famous “fragrant harbor”

So what can the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region do to smell, sound, taste, and be more enticing to attract visitors? We can start with commerce — Hong Kong’s raison d’etre. Our duty-free import policy and absence of a sales tax were instrumental in the mushrooming of leading luxury brands worldwide, which we should continue to nurture. As a result, many luxury goods remain cheaper here than elsewhere in the region and are often more affordable globally.

But Hong Kong is much more than its luxury-shopping paradise. We can leverage the glamour of these extravagant establishments to attract more visitors and by staging more world-class artistic, cultural and sports events. While we have seen some events being staged successfully recently, we have also seen some missteps around a certain soccer player being a case in point. An own goal for sure! We need to redouble our efforts and ensure we do not sacrifice their quality in our push for more quantity. Done right, this aspect of our reinvigorated international image will boost our economy and reputation as a tourist destination.

We have a special status that the mainland can use to test new ways of doing business and things that, if proved successful, can be exported. As a special administrative region, Hong Kong provides mechanisms for more-complementary international engagement and plays a vital role as a superconnector thanks to its alignment with international standards in every aspect. This is also true in my own area of NewSpace. Various mainland satellite manufacturing companies are eyeing Hong Kong and setting up subsidiaries here. Why? They are here because of strong and real belief that Hong Kong’s special status and role as an East-meets-West confluence of “opportunity meets pragmatic cooperation” remains true today. As such, the HKSAR still provides pathways, however indirect, for international linkages, cooperation and partnerships that are more difficult to navigate from the mainland. So we must be cautious that, as we integrate more sensibly and deeply with the mainland, this is not done at the expense of these perceived advantages, distinctiveness and attractiveness. It is a large part of what brings talent, tourists and trade to our shores.

Much of the overseas press dramatizes the trials related to the NSL, the alleged “loss” of freedoms, and the exaggerated impact of the law. So let us not give them the oxygen they crave here. Let us more vigorously promote all the wonderful and positive things we can say about Hong Kong, and let’s dial back the rhetoric and zealotry in certain areas and quarters that are not necessary or indeed required and indeed do not, in my view, help.

It is our quirkiness, local customs, more-cosmopolitan population, East-meets-West fusions, school systems (both public and private), diversity, global and local cuisines, and yes, traditions like milk tea, yum cha culture, and driving on the left side of the road that entice people and mark our distinctiveness. Hence, we are not regarded as “just another mainland city”, and I do not believe we are despite what some say. If we become that, our special status and importance to the mainland will be lost.

So let us keep driving on the left, keep the wigs on our independent judiciary, have our own currency and exchange rates, have our Cheung Chau Bun Festival, manic dragon boat races, Happy Valley horse races, and all those other things, both small and large, that keep us as enticing as our famous “fragrant harbor”.

The author is a professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Hong Kong, the director of its Laboratory for Space Research, and vice-chairman of the Orion Astropreneur Space Academy.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.