Chinese mainland tourists walk past a Tiffany & Co store on Canton Road, Hong Kong, Nov 28, 2018. (KIN CHEUNG / AP)
Total visitor arrivals in Hong Kong last year plunged 14.2 percent year-on-year to nearly 56 million as travelers shunned the city which has been rocked by violent protests since mid-June.
READ MORE: HK reports worrying drop in tourist arrivals
The Hong Kong Tourism Board said it was redoubling efforts to retain Hong Kong’s appeal as a world-class travel destination in short-haul markets, including the launch of a campaign last month to promote some 500 offers on a dedicated online platform
The number started to fall in July, shortly after the social unrest stemming from the extradition bill incident began, and plummeted by almost 40 percent in the second half.
Hard-pressed local retailers are feeling the pinch from the prolonged industry-wide downturn. Cosmetics retail chain Sa Sa said it planned to shut down as many as a quarter of its stores over the next 18 months when their leases expire. The majority of the stores are located in prime tourist districts, which were hardest-hit by the turmoil, the retailer chain said. The first batch of seven stores will close by the end of March.
HKTB Chairman Pang Yiu-kai said the city’s battered tourism industry had faced “exceptional challenges” in the past year. The government-sponsored body is redoubling efforts to retain Hong Kong’s appeal as a world-class travel destination in short-haul markets like India, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and Thailand. It will soon extend tourism promotional campaigns to Japan and other long-haul markets.
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