Hong Kong SAR – Still Awesome, Really!

It was pre-Covid and just before all the protests took hold when I was last in Hong Kong. Had those three years that passed caused change to a city that provides so many people with wonderful memories.

The answer is yes….and no, but not a negative no. Let me explain.

I was sitting having a beer with an acquaintance from my last trip, Alfie. He’s in his early thirties, as was working for the university pre-Covid. Sadly, his job was one of those that suffered from both the protests and Covid lockdowns. Now in consultancy, we talked about the expats who have gone back home, which has left an economic hole, but also opened up opportunities for the local young adults that would otherwise had been filled by those now departed expats.

We also talked about how he and his friends now spend more time entertaining each other in their homes, rather than going out. This has created an issue for the hospitality industry. Unlike here, where the local population have now gone back to going out and enjoying restaurants, bars, etc, in Hong Kong, they young adults have decide to spend their money on larger apartments to entertain at home. The downside is that it has made the trendy areas on Hong Kong Island even more expensive to live in.

Hong Kong has also expanded its arts scene with wonderful new museums in Central and West Kowloon. It may be that this is where Hong Kong sees itself in the future. No longer a financial capital, but a cultural capital.