Taiwanese: Hong Kong attractions are extremely boring, do not want to go a second time

Recently, Hong Kong has been chosen by Taiwanese people as a place they don’t want to visit for a second time. They believe that Hong Kong not only has high prices and very boring attractions, but also that the implementation of the National Security Law has made Taiwanese people fearful.

Many Taiwanese netizens engaged in discussions on the online forum PTT at the end of last year, questioning which country or region they would not want to visit a second time, sparking heated debates. Numerous netizens responded, describing Hong Kong as extremely boring, with ridiculously expensive goods and services, and poor customer service. Some even bluntly stated they would “never visit again in this lifetime.”

According to a woman named Ms. Liu who visited Hong Kong in February last year and spoke with Taiwan’s “NOWnews,” apart from the relatively expensive airfare, prices for various street food were shockingly high. Items like buns priced at 360 Taiwanese dollars, egg puffs at 140 dollars, and dining at any random restaurant costing close to 2,000 dollars, with even family-friendly restaurants in Taiwan priced around 2,000 dollars, while in Hong Kong the bill would easily surpass 3,500 dollars.

Ms. Liu mentioned that during their 6-day, 5-night trip, her family spent at least 100,000 Taiwanese dollars (around 21,800 Chinese Yuan), and she personally felt it wasn’t worth the cost. She emphasized that if not for Disneyland, she would never consider visiting Hong Kong again, as the cost of living there is simply unsuitable for middle-class families.

Furthermore, a Taiwanese couple, Yu-Cheng and his girlfriend who visited Hong Kong in June last year, also expressed disappointment.

According to Yu-Cheng’s statement to Radio Free Asia, “Before going to Hong Kong, some colleagues told us that once you go, you won’t want to go again, just like Taiwan, where there’s no feeling of being abroad.” After their visit, they truly felt that they wouldn’t want to return for “five to ten years.”

Yu-Cheng’s girlfriend added, “What Hong Kong offers, Taiwan also has. We seriously thought for three days and still couldn’t think of anything worth bringing back.”

Despite Hong Kong’s continuous promotion as a culinary and shopping paradise, with more than a year of the “Vibrant Throughout the Day and Night” campaign, the couple did not experience any of it.

Yu-Cheng remarked that Hong Kong turned out to be more desolate than they had imagined, as Taipei truly is a “city that never sleeps,” always brightly lit at night, while Mong Kok felt quite dark. His girlfriend further mentioned that stores closed as early as 9 or 10 pm.

When asked about their next travel destination, Yu-Cheng mentioned Japan, South Korea, or the United States if given the chance.

He elaborated on Japan’s relatively better public safety, a variety of attractions, government support for tourism, which results in a more comprehensive experience with less worries, making the visit very enjoyable.

According to the latest statistics from Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau, from January to October 2024, Japan topped the list of Asian countries Taiwanese people preferred to travel to, with over 5 million Taiwanese tourists visiting Japan.

Moreover, many Taiwanese individuals are hesitant to travel to Hong Kong following the implementation of the “National Security Law”.

An anonymous Taiwanese individual told Radio Free Asia, “If you are pro-unification, that’s fine, but as someone who supports independence, would I be arrested if I went? That’s frightening.”

Mr. Lo also expressed, “I would be more cautious considering the political aspect. In my social circle, there are a few people who faced difficulties while traveling to Hong Kong, and their political views were somewhat similar to mine.”

According to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, in 2024, the total number of Taiwanese visitors to Hong Kong was 1,224,610, which was a significant decrease of about 39% from 2,007,524 visitors in 2018 before the outbreak of the pandemic.