Tourism Industry In Hong Kong Essay

Tourism has become one of the world’s largest industries, with an estimated US$ 3 trillion in annual revenues and expanding at an average rate of 4-5 percent annually. According to the World Bank, Tourism is the fastest and biggest growing industry in the world. The tourism industry has been an important part of the economy of Hong Kong since it shifted to a service sector model in the late 1980s and early 90s. Tourism is one of the four pillar industries in Hong Kong, along with financial services, trading and logistics, as well as professional and producer services. Tourism industry has contributed immensely to economic growth in Hong Kong; in 2010, value added of HK$74.6 billion (US$9.6 billion) was generated by tourism sector which represents

According to the article “Travel & Tourism, Economic impact 2015, Hong Kong”, Travel and Tourism in Hong Kong will generate 380,000 jobs directly by 2025. (Turner) Tourism in Hong Kong is a labour intensive industry and has the potential to create more jobs per unit of investment than any other industry. According to the article, “Economic Benefits of the Independent Visitor Scheme for Hong Kong: How Large Are They?”, the growing rate of employment which generated by tourism is great and rapid, it serves a leading role in generating jobs among the four pillar industries in Hong Kong. (Sung, 2014) Moreover, tourism industry can also significantly cater for the employment of women and ethnic minority groups. The potential costs of tourism brought to Hong Kong socially may be the extra pressure put on transportation services. In Hong Kong, even though over 90% of the population makes use of well-developed public transportation (Lam and Hsu, 2006), with the incoming of tourisms, the number of public transportations on the road would increase intensively which may result in the traffic jam and accidents. Since Hong Kong has a small territory area with large population size, the influx of tourists would definitely exert pressure on the usage of public

These make it environmentally distinctive and attractive to tourists. Foreigners are seeking to see the natural environment and local culture of Hong Kong. Some potential benefits brought by visitors are the preservation of historical and heritage sites by government in order to attract more visitors. In this way, the unique culture of Hong Kong is preserved. Moreover, it can also stimulate the practice of local cultures, folklores, traditional arts and craft and of the practice of local cultures, folklores, traditional arts and crafts and cuisines (Francesco, 2005). Places like Mongkok, Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay are the most famous places of attractions in Hong Kong, its unique environment and traditional practices are well-conserved by the locals. As a result, the tourists are able to observe a more real and authentic Hong Kong. In addition, the natural environment of Hong Kong is carefully monitored expect for seasonal air pollution with origins from neighboring industrial areas of mainland of China, which adopts loose emissions