^I wouldn’t be concerned about going to Hong Kong. I booked my flights for next month (but not hotels yet). I expect some protests will continue then but no Tiananmen style crackdown. Why would the Beijing government do that if the crowds aren’t getting bigger? The initial trigger for the mass demonstration is the proposed extradition law, which most HongKongers understandably oppose. Now since it has been withdrawn, only a group of core protesters remain. The violence has turned off most other HongKongers. The remaining issues are highly political and there’s no middle ground, so I don’t expect compromises or protests to fade away.
Having said that, I also don’t expect tourists to be affected much. Mainland visitors have by and large stayed away from Hong Kong, so there’s no incentive for the protesters to disrupt tourist attractions or public transportation hubs, etc. (which will only inconvenience local HongKongers and make them more antipathetic). There’re some “positives” from the tourist point of view. Hotels are cheap (by Hong Kong standards) and getting cheaper, and tourist attractions are much less crowded.
I also wouldn’t hesitate to visit - but my contacts have been disrupted frequently by MTR closings, business closings, cancellations in the last few weeks. Three of the main MTR stations were closed yesterday (Admiralty, Wan Chai, Central), the Airport Express was closed at Kowloon, buses are re-routed. As someone quite familiar with HK, I could handle getting from point A to B, but I would not book my “normal” hotel which is in the midst of things. Info is good - apps are available to give closures, etc. I’ve also heard that hotel concierges and even Hong Kong-ers on the street are very helpful to visitors with up to date travel info.
I wish I saw the “core” group as minimal and non-disruptive as you suggest. I do agree that Disney Land, Ngong Ping, outer islands and other tourist spots are not impacted as long as you know alternate routes when MTRs and direct buses are shut down. And, there are indeed wonderful hotel bargains.
One (South China Morning Post) is owned by a business that is presumably more into making money (and therefore needs to cater to the expectations of its readers and advertisers, although there certainly can be government influence on the parent business), while the other (China Daily) is owned by a political party (so the purpose of the paper is obviously different).
^^^ I also have no compelling reason to travel at this moment. I expect to be returning after the first of the year, but will likewise by monitoring and re-examining.
My godson who attends university in Scotland and is doing year abroad in Hong Kong hasn’t been “ urged” to leave. He’s been ordered to. His parents were supposed to visit over Christmas. Lots of lost $$$$. But that’s the least of it. We keep telling him ( he’s very disappointed) that you can’t get a better education than what he is experiencing.
It sounds like the Australian students weren’t “urged” to leave either.
D16 is supposed to do a program that involves a one week visit for seminars in HK in May, 2020. I hope her university changes the location. In the past, they’ve alternated between HK and London.
Yeah. You are right @bouders. “Urging “ that Syblla used was too mild based on the article. My godson feels safe and isn’t happy but 21 year olds aren’t the best at accessing risk.
Have them call the airlines and explain the situation. I’ve been told some airlines will issue vouchers to be used for other destinations at a later date.
One of my contacts is now teaching on-line for the rest of the semester at a major HK uni. I’m absolutely heart sick. Vandalism at many malls and destruction of the giant Christmas tree at Festival Walk mall where we have spent family time enjoying the annual celebrations. I’m refraining from making several comments of a political bent…
I have dropped plans for routing thru HK with layovers for the next several months. Even knowing multiple ways to get from point A to B, there is too much disruption and moment by moment change to transit system availability. I don’t need to be there making it harder for locals to get a bus or taxi to work or home when the subway system is disrupted.
We were in HK from 9/12/19 through 9/17/19 and had no problem at all getting around, but it looks like things have gotten much worse. One evening we were having drinks at the top of the Ritz Carlton (Ozone Bar)and I saw on facebook there was a demonstration with police presence across the harbor at the Landmark shopping center. We could see some flashing lights, but simply went back to our hotel avoiding that area. Tourism was already down as much as 50%, which was good for us because some traditional attractions like the Peak Tram were not as crowded as usual. We also made an unplanned visit - and got a terrific tour - of the HK campus of SCAD (!! Who knew they had a HK campus? That’s the Savannah College of Arts and Design) It was business as usual then. We asked, and were told that their students were too busy studying to participate in demonstrations. I don’t know what the current status is , especially of the many foreign students (foreign to HK) who spend a semester in HK.
It’s so hard to see this - a year ago we were having a happy sabbatical in HK. The lab where my husband worked has decamped to Shenzhen in mainland China. DH actually has an invitation to come back next year to give a series of lectures - we are tentatively scheduled for next October, but who knows if it will happen or not.
Bringing this back up. I decided to fly out there again this week before the year was over. Doing it under weird circumstances though - I’m literally gone for only 3 days. Which means I’ll literally be in HK for only 30 hours. I had to get some signatures for a buyout agreement that I didn’t want to do via proxy, plus I have some merchandise that I wanted to personally pick up and bring back. But the most important reason is that I did it for a year-end mileage run to get elite status on an airline. Fare is still cheap for this week ($500) and the hotel prices are dirt cheap. Staying at a lower-end 4 star hotel for under $50 for the night.
That’s a long flight for such a short stay! Son’s girlfriend will be going back for a wedding and holiday next week. DH has been invited back to give some lectures next year, we’re aiming for fall hoping things will be more settled by then.
@Momofadult if you were into jewelry, buying it in HK is usually cheaper since there’s no sales tax and labor costs are cheaper. Also, if you venture across the border and know where you are going, you can get pretty much undetectable-from-the-real thing stuff on Balenciaga/LV/Gucci etc stuff, plus shoes. I guess those are two things that might make a trip worth while. Fortunately for me, I don’t need to shop for my wife for those things (at this time).
Thanks, Prof! Actually, I thought you must know me when I started reading your comment. I am “into” jewelry. I do know the HK market (for better and worse). The international jewelry shows there are some of the best. (or have been in the past, I believe this year was somewhat different due to circumstances). Maybe I should have made a point of going!
I also frequently buy my shoes in HK. I am a small size that US stores do not carry. Generally practical shoes, however, not designers or knock-offs!
So I just got back from my little excursion to HK. Got out just before the big demonstrations and protest earlier today. The bullet train from HK to SZ Futian is just amazing, literally around 15 min.
Managed to get in my Golden Arcade fix, got my broken iphone screen fixed plus replacing the battery for $38US. PC parts and laptops pricing, I can do better in the US. Mongkok is alive and well, though not as crowded as in the olden days. Scored a “replica” Kris Bryant jersey for $22US.
The only bad part about the trip was that in order to secure even more miles, I took a flight with a connection. In this case, Vancouver. Unfortunately, SFO is so prone to delays for any number of reasons, and yesterday was no exception - fog and rain Saturday evening forced me to endure a 4 hour delay from YVR - SFO. A looooong day.