Mega-mishap

Hong Kong bureaucrats tasked with boosting the tourism industry furiously organize mega-events in an attempt to meet arbitrary targets for visitor numbers. As a HKFP op-ed points out, the results are mixed…

The idea that events should be supported by an all-purpose body selecting items on the basis of their prospects as tourist attractions is another. How are meaningful comparisons to be made between – say – a golf tournament, a performance of Aida and a chance to be bored in a conference centre by the CEOs of several international companies?

Money will be spent, certainly, but much of it will be wasted on events which would have happened anyway, or events to which the “mega” label is a polite joke. What is to be done?

… as the government is wallowing in a financial crisis, perhaps it could start by cancelling the Mega Events Coordination Group and saving HK$100 million. The government’s role in fostering mega events should be confined to ensuring there are suitable venues for them.

Left to themselves, the relevant industries will produce a steady flow of conferences, festivals, shows, opportunities to buy expensive items or to watch Lionel Messi watch a football match. The SAR government can stay out of show business.

Soccer star Messi was supposed to play in a match earlier this year but didn’t, leading to public anger and something of a diplomatic mega-incident. Now, history has sort of repeated itself, as the SCMP reports…

Hong Kong football fans who forked out almost HK$7,000 each for a chance to meet their Real Madrid heroes were left angry and disappointed, after many were prevented from even catching a glimpse of their idols.

Real Madrid and Barcelona legends teams played an exhibition game in Hong Kong Stadium on Friday, and for HK$6,880 fans could buy an “Experience Set” ticket, which included a meet and greet session with stars from either team before the match.

However, June Lee, president of the Real Madrid Hong Kong Official Fans Club, said its members were among those who did not get what they paid for, and had reported the incident to the Consumer Council.

Note that, although both these sports events were officially endorsed as part of a campaign to boost visitor numbers, they especially appealed to Hongkongers. It’s almost as if things tourists like are also things local residents enjoy.

Conferences and major sporting events will attract some outsiders to Hong Kong. But people on vacation mostly don’t visit a city to see inauthentic attractions contrived by the local civil servants. They might take in some public museums or parks, but they generally prefer things not created by a government. It might be scenery, it might be food, it might be shops selling things they don’t get back home, and it will probably reflect the overall ambience and feel. The sort of things that make Japan, Taiwan or Thailand unique are the same things that make them popular destinations. 

Ultimately, it comes down to the quality of life and the happiness of the place. If a government is responsive to its community’s wishes and needs, then the chances are that outsiders will find it a nice place to visit. So for Hong Kong: focus on keeping public transport good and improve the pedestrian environment, rather than encourage more and more cars everywhere; use land to increase affordability and comfort for everyone, rather than trying to push property prices up and up; and let Hong Kong be Hong Kong, rather than try to reshape it into something else. For example, replacing old iconic neon signs with a lame ‘festival of lights’ is a bad idea. Replacing old freedoms with jail sentences for wearing T-shirts is a bad idea. And so on. Make Hong Kong a good place to live in, and the tourists will come.