The guns still fire at noon across Causeway Bay, Queen Victoria continues to
gaze down sternly from her plinth on Statue Square, the street signs remain
in English and Chinese, and you can still order a mean Martini at the
Mandarin Oriental bar ...
Tourist officials, tour operators and expats living in Hong Kong say that
little has changed in the day-to-day life of residents and those visiting
the former British colony since the handover from Britain to China a decade
ago.
When pushed on any significant changes, Richard Hume, director of the Hong
Kong Tourism Board in the UK, simply said: “Well, the post boxes are now
green.” Before, he said, they were red.
For a place in which many predicted huge upheaval after the 1997 handover, the
transition to Chinese control seems to have gone remarkably smoothly. “Many
people thought that things would change for the worse,” Hume said. “In fact,
the changeover has made things better.”
But in terms of tourism, the former colony has leapt forward. “We have a new
airport, new museums and Disneyland,” he said. “It has been a period of
incredible growth.”
Combine this with a series of swanky hotel openings – including a Four
Seasons, the boutique Lan Kwai Fong Hotel, a major revamp of the Mandarin
Oriental, and renovations at the two Shangri-La hotels – as well as scores
of new bars and restaurants, and life in Hong Kong is more fast-paced than
ever, locals say.
“I couldn’t tell you how many bars and restaurants have opened in the past
four months,” said Rae White, an ex-pat who attended the official handover
ball at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club. “In SoHo [a city centre district],
there were just a couple of places to go ten years ago. Now they cover four
or five streets.”
White said that the latest must-go spot is Dragoneye on Wyndham Street, where
the Beckhams were recently spotted – “it’s really funky, really fun there”.
The biggest change that White has noticed is that fewer Westerners are working
in restaurants and bars – many used to stop off as back-packers, but they
now require working visas.
The main downside, she added, is that taxi drivers “have worse English than
before; many have come over from the mainland – you really do need to have
the card for your hotel to get to the right place”.
The new Chek Lap Kok airport, which opened in 1998, signalled the authorities’
intent following the handover. Previously, the old Kai Tak airport was known
– and often feared – for the steep descent aircraft were forced to make on
landing to avoid skyscrapers.
The gleaming new terminals, which came at the same time as a new express train
to the main islands, were followed by a Heritage Museum (2000), Hong Kong
Disneyland (2005), the Ngong Ping 360 cable car on Lantau island (2006), and
a new viewing platform on Peak Tower, also completed last year.
Other tourist improvements include more direct flights from the UK. While only
British Airways and Cathay Pacific, the Hong Kong-based carrier, flew in
1997, now there is Qantas, Air New Zealand and Oasis Hong Kong Airlines.
The latter began late last year, offering return flights from £273 – cutting
as much as £300 off fares and prompting a price war. “Oasis has made prices
much more competitive,” Hume said, and tourist numbers from the UK have
increased by about 30 per cent to 516,495 last year. Numbers are expected to
leap by a further 20 per cent this year.
Tamara Diethelm, product manager for the Far East at Kuoni, Britain’s leading
long-haul tour operator, said that the former colony is benefiting from
recent growth in tourism to China. “There is such a buzz, it feels so
vibrant. The only question is: how long can it last?” she said.
On the up
Getting there: Oasis (0844 4822323, www.oasishongkong.com)
has returns from £273. Cathay Pacific (020-8834 8800, www.cathaypacific.com)
has returns from £559. Virgin (0870 5747747, www.virginatlantic.com)
returns from £427. BA (0870 8509850, www.ba.com)
returns from £427.
Where to stay: The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong (00800 2828 3838, www.mandarinoriental.com)
offers B&B doubles from £181. Four Seasons (00800 6488 6488, www.fourseasons.com/hongkong)
has B&B doubles from £231. Lan Kwai Fong Hotel (www.lankwaifonghotel.com.hk)
has doubles from £71. Kowloon Shangri-La (0800 0283337, www.shangri-la.com)
has doubles from £134.
Arriving: Chek Lap Kok airport (www.hongkongairport.com).
What to do: Hong Kong Disneyland (http://park. hongkongdisneyland.com),
Ngong Ping 360 (www.np360.com.hk), Hong Kong Heritage Museum (www.heritagemuseum.gov.hk).
Further information: Hong Kong Tourism Board (020-7533 7100, www.discoverhongkong.com).
