Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes - Turn and face the strange

"Like Freddy Krueger on a night out, Covid slashes through Hong Kong's tourist industry."

Soon two of our iconic cultural landmarks will exist only as memories. The Star Ferry, long touted as the world's best ferry ride and the Jumbo restaurant, are victims of the times.

Like Freddy Krueger on a night out, Covid slashes through Hong Kong's tourist industry. It's sunk the Jumbo floating restaurant, so no more dramatic lighting reflecting off Aberdeen Harbour. Part of the structure at the rear is listing, while the colossal sign has long ceased to greet customers. It read "Jubo" for ages before somebody finally pulled the plug.

Without clientele and no sign of Hong Kong's draconian Covid rules relaxing, the Jumbo wasted away. Unfortunately, the government declined to get involved, so the owners plan to tow it out - and it's unlikely to be back. And while the Jumbo enjoyed a mixed reputation with locals, most visitors had it on their list.

In many ways, the demise of the Jumbo is the Hong Kong story. Flashy, gaudy lights on the front, with the hints of something mysterious and vibrant—a Disney version of the Orient, inauthentic and fun at the same time. Yet, behind lays the harsh economic truths. 

Tourism was one of the pillars of our economy in 2018 when it contributed about 4.5% of Hong Kong's GDP while employing around 257, 000 persons. However, by 2020, as Covid hit home, the figure fell to 0.2% of GDP.

Therefore no wonder Star Ferry is also in financial trouble. Once an essential public transport link, the arrival of the MTR in the 1980s saw a drop off in passengers. That process continued as more cross-harbour tunnels arrived. We now have four fast air-conditioned rail lines running under the harbour, including a superb route that slashes travel times to Shatin. So who is going to bother with a hot walk to a relocated distant Central Pier? 

Still, the ride across the harbour remains an enchanting experience, especially at night as the city's lights play on the water. In recent years, rebranded as a tourist attraction, the Star Ferry proved viable, except we have no tourists. 

In another development, Cathay Pacific began writing to laid-off staff, asking them to rejoin the airline in anticipation of flights resuming and tourists flooding in. However, I heard these solicitations received a less than warm reception. Having gone to build new careers, the former staff didn't sound enthusiastic. Hence whether Cathay can reclaim its status as a brand leader symbolic of Hong Kong remains unclear. 

The tourists will be back and still have much to marvel at, including street food in Kowloon and the dystopian back streets of Sham Shui Po, where I saw Harrison Ford chasing down replicants. The view from the Peak still takes my breath away while our new harbour front promenade is developing its unique status.  

It is sad to see the Jumbo go, and the Star Ferry may follow it to the scrap heap. And I hear the question, "Is all this symbolic of Hong Kong's death by a thousand cuts long predicted by the pundits?"

No, because Hong Kong has continuously evolved with the forces of commerce shaping the very structure of the place. These days, with bridges linking us to Macau and the Greater Bay Area, we sit well placed to ride the success of the largest conurbation on the planet. 

For the uninitiated, the GBA is Silicon Valley on steroids. It also includes the food and construction sectors, the automotive and aircraft industries and manufacturers of high-end medical products. With a population of over 86 million and a GDP of USD 1,668.8 billion in 2020, the GBA is the 12th biggest economy. It sits just behind South Korea and ahead of Australia. And the GBA has only just gotten started. 

So that's where Hong Kong's future lies.

A sign of the times?