The Impacts of Tourism on the Local Community in Tung Chung
Intro
Tung Chung is an area which is located on the Lantau Island. Right after the opening of the Hong Kong International Airport in 1998, it was developed as part of the Airport Core Programme. The government decided to make Tung Chung the first new town on an outlying island. First, the government began with the infrastructure there, housing is also built to attract more people move in. In 1998, the Tung Chung line of MTR was opened. It provided a much easier access of the region and thus rose the willingness of people to visit. A few more years later, people discovered the potential of Tung Chung to be a tourist spot, as there are a number of tourist attractions like the Big Buddha. As a result, hotels are also built in the region, as the provide the most basic need for tourists. After that, huge shopping malls are opened, and what is more, a tourist-oriented project called Ngong Ping 360 was introduced. 156
The project indicates the determination of the government to make Tung Chung a complete tourist centre with well-developed transportation, accommodation, attractions. The motivation of the government is of course the economic benefits brought by tourism. It is well-known that tourism is one of the four pillars of the Hong Kong economy. In 2010, it contributed to 4.4 percent of Hong Kong’s GDP.(http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/tourism.pdf) It is not difficult to understand why the government keeps on thinking ways to boost the already vigorous tourism. However, is the local community able to share the fruits of it? Does the development of tourism bring drawbacks to the community? In the following, I will use what I have observed in Tung Chung as a case study to find out more. 119
On a normal weekday, I went to Tung Chung to collect primary data which can help me find out the impacts of tourism on the local community there. The whole trip lasted for about three hours. I did observe different kind of impacts on the local community during
Tung Chung is an area which is located on the Lantau Island. Right after the opening of the Hong Kong International Airport in 1998, it was developed as part of the Airport Core Programme. The government decided to make Tung Chung the first new town on an outlying island. First, the government began with the infrastructure there, housing is also built to attract more people move in. In 1998, the Tung Chung line of MTR was opened. It provided a much easier access of the region and thus rose the willingness of people to visit. A few more years later, people discovered the potential of Tung Chung to be a tourist spot, as there are a number of tourist attractions like the Big Buddha. As a result, hotels are also built in the region, as the provide the most basic need for tourists. After that, huge shopping malls are opened, and what is more, a tourist-oriented project called Ngong Ping 360 was introduced. 156
The project indicates the determination of the government to make Tung Chung a complete tourist centre with well-developed transportation, accommodation, attractions. The motivation of the government is of course the economic benefits brought by tourism. It is well-known that tourism is one of the four pillars of the Hong Kong economy. In 2010, it contributed to 4.4 percent of Hong Kong’s GDP.(http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/tourism.pdf) It is not difficult to understand why the government keeps on thinking ways to boost the already vigorous tourism. However, is the local community able to share the fruits of it? Does the development of tourism bring drawbacks to the community? In the following, I will use what I have observed in Tung Chung as a case study to find out more. 119
On a normal weekday, I went to Tung Chung to collect primary data which can help me find out the impacts of tourism on the local community there. The whole trip lasted for about three hours. I did observe different kind of impacts on the local community during