Hong Kong protesters target Chinese tourists
The latest mass protests in Hong Kong took on a new tactic: highlighting their grievances directly to tourists from mainland China.
Last Sunday’s march was the first to take place in Kowloon, a popular shopping spot for mainlanders.
The choice of location was a deliberate attempt by protest leaders to appeal to tourists, which included some slogans chanted in Mandarin.
Reports of the ongoing demonstrations have been heavily censored in the mainland.
Protest leaders said more than 230,000 turned out and police said it was ‘generally peaceful and orderly’ although a handful of arrests were made.
Their bone of contention – a controversial extradition law – has been suspended but they want Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam to ditch the proposed law for good and then resign.
"We want to show mainlanders that Hong Kong isn’t China, and we want to show other Hong Kongers and the world that we are peaceful so we can gain their support," said teenage protester Josie Kwok.
Still, Hong Kong’s tourism industry has been heavily impacted since the protest began.
Yiu Si-wing, a lawmaker in the tourism sector says it is looking ‘relatively gloomy’ for the industry.
He said the number of tour groups arriving has fallen since mid-June, and those from Southeast Asia are down at least 20 percent.
Another demonstration has been announced for next weekend.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent