Excerpt from Term Paper:
SARS and Tourism in Hong Kong
SARS stand for Extreme Acute Respiratory system Illness. This kind of illness, caused by a coronavirus, originated in China in 2002 and spread to Asia simply by 2003. SARS spread to several countries in Asia, South America, Europe and North America before the outbreak was contained. The sickness is sent through breathing droplets, if a person sneezes or splutters. Touching infected surfaces, then touching the own mouth area, nose or eyes could also spread the virus. The symptoms act like the flu and most patients develop pneumonia (Fact Linen, 2004).
One industry that was especially affected by SARS was the tourist industry. The Asian locations suffered the most, particularly China and tiawan, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore (Clark, 2003). By May possibly of 2003, the travel business was significantly affected, and perhaps Hong Kong was impacted the most. In Hong Kong, high had been 299 deaths from SARS, the tourism lowered 86. 8% (Beveridge, 2004). The number of deaths was greater than anywhere apart from Mainland Chinese suppliers. Prior to SARS, the Hong Kong Tourism panel had a motto that said, “Hong Kong is going to take your breath away. inches After the outbreak of SARS, this slogan became a great embarrassment to the city and was replaced with the slogan, “There’s no place like Hong Kong” (Hong Kong Tourism Slogan Falls Sufferer to SARS Virus, and. d. ). Initially, nevertheless, the city was not so forthcoming with the potential dangers of SARS to the travelers. The travel and leisure board rejected claims that there was virtually any cause for concern, even when they met travelers at the airplanes and attached masks around their necks. They said it was a time-honored custom to tie the goggles around the necks of the site visitors and rejected the dangers of SARS (Hong Kong Invitations Tourists to “Come View the Softer Side of SARS, ” 2003). Eventually, the tourism panel and the representatives had to accept the World Wellness Organization and limit travel around in and out of Hong Kong to avoid wide spread passageway of the contamination. Unfortunately, the cavalier attitude that the officials expressed throughout the initial levels of the SARS outbreak, at Hong Kong and Mainland Cina, would harm their standing and presently, there are investigations and likely indictments growing from the erroneous information that was disseminated from China and Hong Kong for the citizens of Hong Kong as well as the rest of the universe.
Once travel was limited, the travel business really took a hit. The Hk government spent about $131 million us dollars to attempt to entice visitors back to Hong Kong when SARS was not a longer a threat (Hennock, 2003). An article by Alan Fung in the Asian Times (Fung, 2003), explains the reason why for the willingness with the government to endorse these kinds of large expenses. Fung clarifies that at the start of 2003, Hong Kong was at an upswing financially. Joblessness was down, exports were soaring as well as the retail organization had substantially improved. Together with the onset of SARS and the future travel calamité, the sector that made up 6% in the gross economic climate, was in severe trouble. The inbound tours, which produced a lot of tourism cash, were down 80 to 90%. The hotel profession went by 79% in March 2003 to 22% in Apr 2003 (Travel and Travel and leisure in Hong Kong, 2004). Resorts, with simply a limited quantity of rooms utilized, opted to shut entire floor surfaces or near renovate. Areas that were rented, were in a value cost, therefore the embrace volume, after the SARS epidemic was more than, could not from the deficit (Travel and Travel and leisure in Hong Kong, 2004).
One more tourism related industry, which was hard struck by SARS, was the vehicles industry. The airlines and cruises had been particularly affected, with a loss of 9. 5% or 560 billion us dollars (Travel and Tourism in Hong Kong, 2004). They face the same long lasting problems while the places to stay industry for the reason that in order to sell more tickets, cost reductions had been initiated. Though this damaged a positive impact on the volume of tickets distributed, it decreased the value of the industry loge, and might take a longer time to recover the losses from the SARS outbreak.
Visitor visits via Europe plus the United States had been reduced together with the threat in the war in Iraq, nevertheless although this could reduce the range of tourists, right now there would be visitors from around the world. That is certainly, until the SARS outbreak. Tourists from around the world no longer attended Hong Kong. 1 group of people that traditionally spend time and money in Hong Kong and contribute considerably to the tourism dollars is the visitors from the mainland of China. Traditionally, approximately two hundred, 000 guests from the landmass come to Hong Kong every Labor Working day (Fung, 2003) and many more throughout the year. The appointments from the Landmass China had been significantly decreased. Although Mainland China experienced more fatalities from SARS and was adversely influenced also, their particular economy is definitely not travel and leisure driven, as Hong Kong’s. Their overall economy did not have problems with the lack of travel as Hong Kong’s would.
The loss in tourism profit Hong Kong was far reaching, also beyond the losses endured by the hotels and flight industries. The restaurants and retailers as well suffered deficits, as did the foreign trade business. Other countries had been fearful of products arriving via counties together with the SARS crisis. The thought was that there might be a way the malware could propagate through the released products. The Asian countries, certainly not affected by SARS but who had been geographically associated with the Asian countries that did have got SARS, subsequently lost travel and leisure dollars likewise.
In Summer 2003, the World Health Corporation declared Hk to be safe to travel to and coming from. Hong Kong started its voyage back. The government of Hk spent $25 million to develop Hong Kong Disneyland (opening in 2005), Wetland Park (opening in 2005), and the Tung Chung Cable Car and to refurbish the present tourist attractions (Fucanan, 2004). The 2008 Olympics will be held in Beijing. Although this is on Mainland China and not in Hong Kong, you will have many benefits to Hong Kong with its advent. Hong Kong will benefit with site visitors, accommodations and transportation solutions. This was started before the influx of new tourists was expected to come, yet more because insurance pertaining to satisfaction. In respect to Ms. Fucanan, the Hong Kong Tourism Board had a three-prong strike on how to restore Hong Kong tourism (2004). Prior to the removal of travel sanctions by the World Wellness Organization, the tourism board began creating accurate information about the SARS outbreak. Secondly, the tourism table offered attractive packages with airline and hotel accommodations to charm to potential visitors. Once the travel calamité was lifted, the travel board presented a range of events, put together with dining and shopping situations and advertising marketing activities.
The Hk Tourism Board began simply by trying to take up a spending gratify in Hong Kong. They held the Hk Super Attract August and September of 2003. It had been successful. Investing in retail sales increased to 11. 2% from January through May possibly 2004. The Hong Kong Tourism Board placed on a Purchasing Festival, was successful in attracting 1 ) 3 million visitors in the first 23 days of the festival (Fucanan, 2004). The festivities went on until Apr 2004.
Jackie Chan, the actor, is the tourism minister plenipotentiary for Hong Kong. According to Ms. Fucanan, the new marketing campaign for Hong Kong, publicized around the globe is “Hong Kong: Live it, Adore it. ” It appears to have worked well. The visitors are flocking to Hk, almost like they were doing prior to the SARS outbreak of 2003. There have been a growth in tourism that is certainly expected to signify about 30% growth in 2004 more than 2003 (Fucanan, 2004). One of the largest groups of visitors is the visitor from Mainland China, 5. 67 million people to Hong Kong inside the first half of 2004 (Tourism Performance, 2004).
In August of 2004, the hotel guests rate in Hong Kong was 88% and August of 2004, the hotel occupancy rate was 90% (Tourism Performance, 2004). Other symptoms have been utilized to measure the growth of tourism in Hong Kong. The visitors with come to Hong Kong has increased from you, 644, 878 in August the year 2003 to 2, 066, 469 in August 2005. This is an important increase intended for Hong Kong and can be expected to continue to rise.
Hong Kong has taken other measures likewise, to ensure that the citizens and visitors are as secure as they could be. The streets are spending the public is way better informed regarding hygiene and what they can do to prevent the spread of health issues. There are liquor washes on desks and according to Chris Hogg, BBC Correspondent, there are slim strips of plastic above the buttons in the lifts and these are transformed every that same day (Hogg, 2004). The public has been instructed for the dangers of keeping animals segregated from them and initiated new slaughtering techniques. Indeed, Hong Kong was able to escape the
