Hong Kong Pandas, pandas, everywhere in Hong Kong.
In an attempt to capitalize on its expanding panda population and reclaim its status as one of Asia’s most popular tourism destinations, Hong Kong has about 2,500 huge panda statues on exhibit throughout the city.
After three years of widespread border restrictions and a crackdown on dissent after 2019 antigovernment demonstrations damaged the city’s reputation abroad, Hong Kong has struggled to draw tourists in the same numbers.
There are now six pandas in Hong Kong. After years of unsuccessful breeding attempts, its dominant couple, Ying Ying and Le Le, gave birth to twins in August, making Ying Ying the oldest first-time panda mother in history. In February, the cubs might appear in public for the first time.
Hong Kong now has the largest population of giant pandas outside of mainland China after Beijing transported two 5-year-old pandas there in September.
Hong Kong authorities have discussed a panda economy as a result of the panda windfall, which has prompted eateries and companies to introduce panda-themed goods.
Hong Kong’s leader, John Lee, claimed that the city was enamored with gigantic pandas during a ceremony on December 7 to unveil the two bears that Beijing had given to the public.
Leading mainland Chinese and local authorities attended the ceremony at Ocean Park, an animal theme park that has been having financial difficulties.
The economy of China and Hong Kong are interwoven, and the current slowdown in the mainland has had a significant impact here. Hong Kong’s 2024 economic growth estimate was reduced last month from 3.2% to 2.5%.
This is due in part to the failure of Hong Kong’s economy’s main driver, tourism, to recover.
According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the city saw nearly 37 million tourists between January and October of this year, a 37% increase over the same time the previous year. However, that still falls well short of the more than 50 million tourists that visited Hong Kong between January and October 2019, when the protests began. (This month, Lee dismissed his tourism secretary.)
The Mainland With over 75% of all travelers in October coming from China, the country remains the top travel destination. However, mainland Chinese tourists’ spending in Hong Kong has decreased due to China’s economic downturn; many of these tourists travel across the border from the city of Shenzhen for the day.
The mega-event economy and other initiatives for reviving Hong Kong have encountered obstacles since political sensitivities are still strong. When soccer player Lionel Messi failed to show up for a highly publicized exhibition match in February, the public was incensed. Fans and even government officials accused Messi of having political motivations, despite his claims that he was too injured to participate.
The panda effort is expected to have a more successful outcome.
Carol Lee Furiate, a California visitor who had visited Hong Kong previously but had not seen the Big Buddha, a 112-foot bronze monument with roughly 70 panda sculptures on display this month in the nearby village and the cable car leading up to it, said, “It’s really a sight to see for first-time tourists like me.”
However, there remained doubt about the extent to which such incidents would affect the local economy, even among tourists who were enjoying the Big Buddha’s panda exhibit.
Once photos are taken, folks will depart. Are they going to eat or shop here? Margaret Koon, a resident of Hong Kong who was viewing the Big Buddha, commented, “Probably not.”
The pandas would not be a major attraction for foreign tourists, according to Donald Low, a professor at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, because they are not an integral part of Hong Kong culture. In contrast, mainland Chinese visitors can see a lot of pandas in their own country.
According to Low, Hong Kong had to concentrate on its distinctive features and endeavor to set itself apart from other Chinese cities.
He said global tourism is also moving away from high-end dining and shopping and tourist attractions and toward experiencing the city as locals would.
Hong Kong has a lot to offer in terms of varied, diverse urban experiences, he said, adding that the city is visually very stunning and complex.
I think people who visit want to soak in that complexity, he said.
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