With quarantine-free travel still out of reach, many are seeking different ways to explore the city. Rebecca Lo lists how locals are discovering another side of Hong Kong by land and sea.
Walk in Hong Kong CEO Paul Chan Chi-yuen leads a tour group near State Theatre in North Point before COVID-19 struck. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
On May 26, travel-starved locals welcomed the news that they can resume cruising again. A “staycations at sea” commencing in July will allow cruise ship operators to run two-night packages for guests desperate for a getaway even if they are not allowed to step ashore. Holidaymakers must be fully vaccinated and all vessels must run at 50 percent capacity.
Dubiously nicknamed “cruises to nowhere,” the program offers some comfort to those discouraged by the now-suspended Hong Kong-Singapore quarantine-free bubble, shelved for the second time after Singapore saw a spike in infections in mid-May. Possible travel bubbles between Hong Kong and Australia and New Zealand are still in the works.
As school holidays are fast approaching, Hong Kong families are getting more creative with their travel plans as they hunker down for another summer in their hometown. One of the most popular pursuits is to take advantage of the city’s many miles of coastline and sandy beaches through private yacht charters.
A Chinese Lady displayed in an MTR station as part of the Art for Everyone@HKMoA campaign to bring art close to people’s everyday lives. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
The sea beckons
Joe Yuen, co-founder of yacht brokerage, charter and sales company JW Marine, has seen his business pick up since the pandemic. People stuck in Hong Kong have extra time and cash to go sailing. Wakeboarding, wakesurfing or jet skiing are fun diversions to avail of while one is out on the water. Yuen has observed that yacht owners are buying more, investing more and upgrading more than in previous years.
“Hong Kong is very accessible and it is convenient to get to the sea compared to other cities,” Yuen said. “In our charter business, we see a real mix of clientele — locals, people from the mainland, expats, family, friends. We are also seeing younger people who view yachting as a leisure activity and are not so concerned about the boat’s performance features. They tend to prefer vessels that are more comfortable and with nicer decor.”
JW Marine’s client base includes a diverse mix of people, from water sports lovers to those looking to relax with family. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Yuen, a lifelong sailor who studied in Florida, is co-owner of a 76-foot Monte Carlo yacht named Aurore that is available for charter. The three-level vessel offers four cabins below deck for those needing afternoon naps, and an air-conditioned central area for dining and lounging. Stylish sofas at the stern and bow as well as above deck allow people to take in the panorama and sea breezes.
“Even before the pandemic, people preferred day trips and to stay within the city boundaries when they set out to sea,” Yuen noted. “Popular spots are Lamma, Cheung Chau and Sai Kung. With its popularity only increasing, the (yachting) industry is expanding. The city needs more marinas and boat clubs to meet the demand.”
Docent Audrey Yip with guest guide, actor and artist Joey Leung, leads a Walk in Hong Kong tour. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Walking on the web
Those seeking socially-distanced cultural diversions can take a walk on the wild side without having to leave home. Operators like Walk in Hong Kong are tweaking their offerings to appeal to online participants. The cultural tour operator saw a 95 percent drop in business at the beginning of the pandemic last year. It was a clear sign that the earlier model of hosting events on-site had to change. The company began offering virtual and livestreamed tours in March 2020, and is now combining traditional walking tours with online ones.
“Our virtual tours are more like YouTube shows,” explained Walk in Hong Kong’s co-founder and CEO Paul Chan Chi-yuen. “People can duck in and out of them. They are entertaining and more interactive. We cover a wider range of topics: pets, dining and entertaining. For some of them, we will include a relevant guest host and that becomes a selling point.”
An Irene Chou painting hangs in Lee Garden One as part of the Hong Kong Museum of Art’s outreach program. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
He said that the number of participants and revenue earned had picked up by the end of 2020. “We have more local customers now. And we managed to keep all of our staff,” said Chan.
With B2B representing approximately 80 percent of Walk in Hong Kong’s business, Chan conducted everything from university orientation tours to guided insights to the city for corporate conferences. With business travel becoming a rarity, companies are increasingly seeking equivalent high-quality online experiences.
More yachts than before are being bought and upgraded in Hong Kong since the pandemic ruled out international travel for leisure. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
“We see a lot of opportunity in virtual tours,” he said. “There is the physical advantage of being in two or more places at once, allowing us to do inter city tours.” He noted that due to the nature of the internet, tours can be spliced with games, multiple choice quizzes, and other hooks to keep things lively.
“Previously, tourism relied on volume because of its low margins,” Chan noted. “It was not a sustainable or resilient model. The pandemic had us re-examining how to attract clients by thinking about what is truly unique about our city. When we were catering to tourists, there was no need to think. Now, we consider how to enhance the city’s appeal to locals with every tour.”
A mobile app allows users to experience Hong Kong Museum of Art collections remotely. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
Museum comes home
Opened after extensive renovations just before the pandemic struck, the Hong Kong Museum of Art suffered successive closures as social distancing measures were enforced. The organization had to come up with novel ways to circumvent uncertainty for art lovers and launched Art for Everyone@HKMoA which ran from March to May.
As part of the campaign, images of 100 pieces of art from the museum’s four core collections were displayed on 490 billboards at MTR stations and tram stops, covering all 18 districts of the city. Twenty-three of these artworks were by local Hong Kong artists. To make the program more interactive, 10 of these were enhanced by augmented reality that viewers can bring to life using an app on their smart phone.
Joe Yuen, co-founder of JW Marine, says yachting in Hong Kong waters has got very popular since the pandemic began. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
For example, viewers can watch an early 19th-century oil painting, A Chinese Lady, come to life, travel through time and arrive at the museum riding the MTR via their phone.
“Social distancing has become a normal part of our lives,” said Nancy Lee, chairman of Friends of the Hong Kong Museum of Art, the organizers of the campaign. “Augmented reality is a way to merge art and technology. By using the app, people can find art wherever they may be, and encounter beautiful works in unexpected places.”
Andrea Oschetti, founder of Blueflower Inspired Travels, predicts international travel will be more expensive in the future. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
What the future holds
For those itching to get out of Hong Kong, overseas travel is all set to change significantly. Andrea Oschetti, founder of Blueflower Inspired Travels, compiled the Global COVID-19 Impact Industry Report in April, based on input from 19 luxury outbound travel specialists from major cities around the world.
It concluded that going forward, travelers will plan with shorter notice, take less frequent yet longer trips, and travel, on the whole, is going to be more expensive. The specialists also feel that COVID passports will be necessary, with privacy and isolation driving the choice of destinations.
Walk in Hong Kong CEO Paul Chan Chi-yue is offering virtual tours with tips on dining and entertainment options. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)
“I see light at the end of the tunnel,” said Oschetti. “The proposed travel bubbles are steps in the right direction and encouraging to our business. Although I believe Japan will remain closed until after the Olympics, that event will be a watershed moment. We will see after that if things open up more.”
Oschetti predicts that the Hong Kong government will remain conservative, and that locals will only want to travel for leisure when destinations are quarantine-free again. In the meantime, he witnesses many spending time hiking in South Lantau near his home. “All the people who normally are abroad are here and rebalancing,” he said. “I see it every weekend on the beach. And we have many beautiful local options.”
