Hong Kong has revived campaigns to foster polite manners in its food, retail and taxi industries, after launching a series of similar initiatives about 30 years ago.
The government’s “Let’s Go the Extra Mile” preferential treatment campaign was launched on Monday, spearheaded by film star Louis Ku Tin-lok.
With Hong Kong’s latest charm offensive already underway, The Post examines what prompted it and how it differs from past efforts and those undertaken outside Hong Kong.
Why did you launch a new campaign?
Hong Kong’s struggling tourism industry is currently facing several challenges, particularly the changing behavior of mainland Chinese tourists, who are opting for more cultural and immersive tours and experiences over retail purchases.
The growing influence of social media platforms such as mainland China’s Instagram-like app Xiaohongshu means bad customer experiences can spread quickly.
Yang Junhong, minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said now was a good time to launch the campaign as the tourism industry had been “dormant” for three years.
He added that non-traditional destinations were seeing an increase in visitors and some operators were only used to catering to local customers who needed “reminders”.
Yen also noted that some cases of poor customer service have attracted attention on social media, casting doubt on Hong Kong’s status as a welcoming destination for tourists.
What is the complaint?
A scroll through Xiaohongshu reveals hundreds of results from visitors reminiscing about bad experiences in Hong Kong, and specifically in Hong Kong-style cafes, or cha chaan tengs.
Some users described dining in Hong Kong as “the price of hard work”, while others commented that “you’d never get this kind of service in other Chinese cities”.
The story spread quickly, prompting some content creators to make “secret” videos in which they speak Mandarin Chinese while testing out the customer service at the venue.
But others say there should be more understanding of Hong Kong’s culture, which prides itself on efficiency, and say the local Cantonese accent sounds rougher than it actually is.
Some tourists, unfamiliar with the unique note-taking culture of local restaurant staff, have mistaken the industry jargon written on their bills as an insult, sparking online discussion.
Local taxi drivers have also seen a surge in complaints about overcharging passengers by driving long distances, not following the meter and making excuses to charge exorbitant surcharges.
How is local industry responding?
The Hong Kong Tourism Board recently launched a series of short videos featuring stars such as Kwok Fu Shing and actress Chiang Chiang, and revived an old slogan used in past campaigns: “This attitude in service these days is not good enough.”
The committee plans to release more videos focusing on making cha chaan tengs more welcoming places and encouraging attentive service from vendors and taxi drivers.
Simon Wong Kao, chairman of the Hong Kong Food & Beverage Federation, said the industry would work with the Employee Retraining Committee to roll out free basic training courses for frontline staff.
He noted that many staff were hired during a time of labor shortages and may not have received such training.
The taxi industry is also due to hold a kick-off ceremony on Wednesday for its own courtesy campaign, which will run for three months from June 11 and will see ambassadors stationed at taxi ranks to encourage more polite interactions with passengers.
What about past campaigns?
Then called the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the association recruited actor and singer-songwriter Andy Lau Tak-wa in 1997 to front its campaigns as a “polite star.”
Lau then appeared in a series of television commercials, using the now-familiar slogan “This attitude in service these days is not enough.”
Other campaigns have used jingles sung by George Lam Tze Cheong, including one from the early ’80s encouraging people to laugh more.
Lam also returned to sing the theme song for the “Friendly Hong Kong – You Make a Difference!” campaign, launched in 2004 as a response to the tourism industry hit hard by the SARS epidemic.
Local star Andy Lau was brought in to spearhead a similar campaign about 20 years ago. Photo: Handout
What about campaigns elsewhere?
Macau launched its own courtesy campaign last year, called “Be my guest and make yourself at home,” which it promoted through television commercials.
The city has launched a range of training programs for service workers, with government and private companies working together.
In 1997, under then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore introduced a national civility campaign to address “anti-social behaviour and characteristics of ‘ugly Singaporeans’ as portrayed in the media”.
This was planned as an annual event, but was later succeeded by similar initiatives.
The campaign included television commercials, contests, and a lion mascot named “Singa.”
Additional reporting by Edith Lin
