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6 disadvantages of growing tourist numbers
January 23, 2011 - Elmer W. Cagape
1 Comment »
Year after year it seems that the number of visitors coming to Hong Kong is setting new records. The 30 million annual visitors the city recorded a few years ago (over 23 million in 2005, over 28 million in 2007) was easily eclipsed by the 36 million tourists who arrived last year. The 21.8 per cent climb is quite a big jump; if not for the recent financial crisis and swine flu scare that affected inbound tourism, the numbers would be more consistent. Amid snowstorms in European destinations and tensions running high in Korea, Hong Kong has become a preferred alternative.
Without a doubt, such number of visitors certainly helps the economy of Hong Kong in many ways: steady employment within the tourism industry: hotel, airline and restaurant staff, bigger sales at department stores and shopping malls and bigger revenues at theme parks. In short, the more visitors who come to Hong Kong, the better it is for business.
But such a high number of tourists can also put a strain on many things. If the city’s 7 million population is already considered one of the world’s most crowded how much worse will it be if an average of 3 million people came to the city on a monthly basis?
Here are some implications of a city continuing to enjoy the trend of the growing number of incoming tourists:
1) More crowded facilities. Shopping malls, theme parks, beaches, you name it, as long as the place holds an interest for newcomers, it becomes a bit more crowded than before. This could make the experience of these places less enjoyable.
2) More expensive hotel rates. With demand surging amidst the steady inflow of tourists, hotel occupancy rates can easily approach full capacity (2010 had 85 per cent, up from 76 per cent in 2009). Naturally, as supply is depleted, prices start creeping up, dismaying budget travelers who may be forced to take alternatives such as cheaper but less tidy
January 23, 2011 - Elmer W. Cagape
1 Comment »
Year after year it seems that the number of visitors coming to Hong Kong is setting new records. The 30 million annual visitors the city recorded a few years ago (over 23 million in 2005, over 28 million in 2007) was easily eclipsed by the 36 million tourists who arrived last year. The 21.8 per cent climb is quite a big jump; if not for the recent financial crisis and swine flu scare that affected inbound tourism, the numbers would be more consistent. Amid snowstorms in European destinations and tensions running high in Korea, Hong Kong has become a preferred alternative.
Without a doubt, such number of visitors certainly helps the economy of Hong Kong in many ways: steady employment within the tourism industry: hotel, airline and restaurant staff, bigger sales at department stores and shopping malls and bigger revenues at theme parks. In short, the more visitors who come to Hong Kong, the better it is for business.
But such a high number of tourists can also put a strain on many things. If the city’s 7 million population is already considered one of the world’s most crowded how much worse will it be if an average of 3 million people came to the city on a monthly basis?
Here are some implications of a city continuing to enjoy the trend of the growing number of incoming tourists:
1) More crowded facilities. Shopping malls, theme parks, beaches, you name it, as long as the place holds an interest for newcomers, it becomes a bit more crowded than before. This could make the experience of these places less enjoyable.
2) More expensive hotel rates. With demand surging amidst the steady inflow of tourists, hotel occupancy rates can easily approach full capacity (2010 had 85 per cent, up from 76 per cent in 2009). Naturally, as supply is depleted, prices start creeping up, dismaying budget travelers who may be forced to take alternatives such as cheaper but less tidy