Airline ticket giveaways, elaborate drone and pyrotechnic shows, and invitations to thousands of influencers to visit and “tell a good story.” These are among the wide-ranging ways Hong Kong has tried to revive its international tourism industry, a crucial economic driver battered by years of pandemic restrictions and political upheaval.

赠送机票，精心制作的无人机和烟火表演，邀请数千网红参观并“讲一个好故事”。这些是香港为试图重振国际旅游业所采取的各种各样的做法，旅游业是香港经济的一个重要推动力，受到了持续几年的控制疫情措施和政治动荡的打击。

It hasn’t been working that well.

这些做法的效果并不理想。

Despite these efforts, for which the Hong Kong government budgeted roughly $129 million this year, the rebound of international travel to the city continues to lag far behind the tourist activity reported at most other Asian destinations. Thailand, South Korea and Japan are reporting visitor numbers nearing or surpassing prepandemic levels, as is most of the rest of the world, according to the latest data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

尽管香港政府今年为推动旅游业发展增拨了逾10.9亿港元的预算，香港国际旅游的复兴仍远远落后于大多数其他亚洲目的地。联合国世界旅游组织的最新数据显示，泰国、韩国和日本报告的游客数量已接近或超过疫情前的水平，世界上大部分其他地区也如此。

But across Hong Kong, small shops and restaurants have closed, luxury hotels have dozens of empty rooms on any given night, and vibrant neighborhoods, once thronged with tourists, have quieted.

但香港到处都有关了门的小商店和餐馆，豪华酒店每个晚上都有几十间空房间，曾经游客如织的热闹街道已变得冷清。

Numerous factors have led to this decline. In 2019, pro-democracy demonstrations over mainland China’s deepening control roiled Hong Kong. Tourism plummeted amid the turmoil, falling nearly 40 percent in the second half of the year compared with 2018. In early 2020, in response to the pandemic, Hong Kong closed its borders, enacted long quarantines and intermittently banned flights — some of its measures went beyond those in the other parts of the world. Recently, an exodus of foreign residents and companies has threatened the city’s reputation as a global finance hub, while other Asian cities continue to rapidly develop their own tourism infrastructure. And Hong Kong locals, lured by cheaper prices, are traveling to mainland China to eat and shop.

许多因素导致了这种衰退。2019年，抗议中国大陆加强控制的大规模民主示威活动席卷了香港，旅游业受动荡影响一落千丈，下半年的来港人数与2018年同期相比下降了近40%。2020年初，为应对疫情，香港关闭了边境，对来香港的人进行长时间的隔离，还断断续续地暂停航班，这些措施中有一些超过了世界其他地区的做法。最近，外国居民和公司的大量外流威胁了香港作为全球金融中心的声誉，而其他亚洲城市则继续快速发展自身的旅游基础设施。而香港本地人受便宜物价的诱惑，纷纷前往中国大陆就餐购物。

“It had glamour, entertainment, lifestyle, the beautiful harbor. But the sands have shifted,” said Gary Bowerman, a travel expert who heads a Hong Kong-based consulting company called Check-In Asia. “It’s not just about Covid and the uprising; the whole of Asia has changed around them.”

“这里曾有魅力、娱乐、生活方式和美丽的港口。但情况已经变了，”旅游专家加里·鲍尔曼说，他是一家总部位于香港的咨询公司Check-In Asia的负责人。“这不只是由于疫情和动荡；整个亚洲已在这些方面发生了变化。”

‘We haven’t had a lot of luck lately’

“我们最近运气不太好。”

Hong Kong’s neon-lit atmosphere, Michelin-heavy restaurant scene, and iconic skyline of impossibly tall buildings and undulating hills built the city’s reputation as a cosmopolitan destination that annually drew millions of tourists.A British colony turned special administrative region of China, Hong Kong was long known for its relative autonomy from Beijing.

香港霓虹闪烁，米其林餐厅众多，标志性的天际线上有高耸入云的摩天大楼和起伏的山峦，这一切曾让这座城市享有国际大都市的声誉，每年曾吸引来百千万的游客。香港曾是英国殖民地，后来成为中国的特别行政区，长期以来一直有相对自治的名声。

In 2018, the city received its most visitors ever: around 65 million people, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Board, with tourists spending more than $42 billion, about 4.5 percent of the city’s gross domestic product. In 2019, tourism slowed; 56 million travelers spent about $33 billion.

据香港旅游发展局，2018年的访港旅客人次超过6500万，是有史以来最高的，入境旅游总消费3282亿港元，约占当地生产总值的4.5%。2019年，旅游业放缓，访港旅客人次降到5600万以下，游客总消费减少到2562亿港元。

In all of 2023, 34 million people visited Hong Kong while in the first eight months of this year about 29 million people have visited, according to the tourism board. A welcome increase, but lukewarm compared with the high figures before the pandemic.

据旅游发展局，2023年全年的访港旅客人次为3400万，今年前八个月的访港旅客人次约为2900万。这是一个可喜的增长，但与疫情前的高数字相比显得不温不火。

In July, I traveled to Hong Kong to experience the city myself. One evening in Mong Kok, known before the pandemic to be a frenetic and densely packed shopping district, I easily navigated the maze of vendors peddling everything from fresh mangosteen to goldfish. There weren’t any crowds. Cavernous luxury malls along Victoria Harbor in Tsim Sha Tsui, a brief ferry ride north of Hong Kong Island, had plenty of high-end stores, but customers were scarce and employees, in stores like Burberry and Aesop, seemed to be idling in their shops. The majority of tourists were outside leisurely strolling the Avenue of Stars, a sweeping waterfront promenade, and taking in the views of the harbor, which cost nothing.

今年7月，我前往香港亲身体验了这座城市。疫情暴发前，旺角是一个有名的购物区，商铺密集，买卖兴旺。一天晚上，我在兜售从新鲜山竹到金鱼等各种商品的摊贩迷宫里轻松地逛了逛。没看到拥挤的人群。乘渡轮只需很短时间就到了位于港岛北边尖沙咀的维多利亚港。维多利亚港沿岸的豪华购物中心很大也很空，虽然高端商店云集，但顾客稀少，巴宝莉和伊索等商店的销售员们似乎无事可做。大多数游客悠闲地漫步在外边宽阔的海滨长廊星光大道上，欣赏港口的美景，那是免费的。

I also visited the M+ Museum, a 700,000-square-foot complex that opened in 2021 after years of delays with space for galleries, cinemas and a rooftop garden, and designed to rival internationally renowned museums like the Tate Modern and Museum of Modern Art. But I found the atmosphere to be quiet and Zenlike compared with the crowds you’ll find at those museums.

 我还参观了M+博物馆。推迟多年后，这座总建筑面积约为6.5万平方米的综合建筑终于在2021年开放，内有展览空间、几个剧场和一个天台花园，其设计目的是与伦敦泰特现代美术馆和纽约现代艺术博物馆等国际知名博物馆竞争。但与那些博物馆里拥挤的人群相比，我发现这里气氛安静，颇有禅意。

Another evening, I sought out Under Bridge Spicy Crab, a popular restaurant in Wan Chai, one of Hong Kong’s oldest districts. I braced for a long wait, but instead was quickly ushered in to a half-empty room.

另一天晚上，我去了一家很受欢迎的餐厅“桥底辣蟹”，它位于香港最古老的地区之一湾仔。我做好了长时间等位的准备，但很快就被领进了一个半空的房间。

Small businesses and restaurants are struggling from the dearth of customers. Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades, said he estimated that about 1,000 restaurants had shuttered from March through August, reeling as Hong Kong residents head to mainland China and elsewhere to dine and shop, as well as the fewer tourist dollars coming to Hong Kong.

小企业和餐馆因缺乏顾客正在苦苦挣扎。香港餐饮联业协会会长黄家和表示，据他估计，从今年3月到8月，已有约1000家餐馆关门，香港居民纷纷前往中国大陆和其他地方就餐购物，再加上来港游客人数减少，让这些餐馆难以为继。

Kevin Shih, who owns several Japanese restaurants including Jan Jan Kushikatsu in Wan Chai, never saw the uptick in business he expected after Hong Kong’s pandemic restrictions were relaxed last year. Nightlife in the city overall, he said, remains subdued.

石健华拥有多家日本料理店，包括位于湾仔的串扬专门店。香港去年放宽疫情限制措施后，石健华的生意并没有像他预期的那样好转。他说，香港的夜生活总体上仍不活跃。

“There’s less people hanging out in bars, less people hanging out late night. In general, there’s just less people in the street,” Mr. Shih said. “I guess Hong Kong is trying, but we haven’t had a lot of luck lately.”

“泡酒吧的人少了，很少有人一直呆到深夜。总的来说，街上的人少了，”石健华说。“我觉得香港在努力，但我们最近运气不太好。”

But recently some welcome changes could be seen, Mr. Wong Ka-wo said, with more visitors arriving around Golden Week, a weeklong Chinese national holiday in early October.

但最近已能看到一些可喜的变化，黄家和说，更多的游客已在黄金周前后来港，黄金周指的是10月初为期一周的中国国庆节假期。

“The inflow of tourists from the mainland and other countries has been encouraging,” he said. “More new shops of different specialties have been opened in early September to meet the demand.”

“来自内地和其他国家游客数量令人鼓舞，”他说。“更多不同特色的新店已在9月初开门来满足需求。”

‘Slower than anyone anticipated’

“比所有人预期的都要慢”

The Peninsula Hotel, the territory’s oldest hotel and one of the most luxurious properties in the world, towers grandly over Victoria Harbor. Inside are 300 rooms and suites, and afternoon tea is served in an opulent and vast lobby with gilded molding. A fleet of spotless Rolls-Royce Phantoms flanks the entrance, awaiting passengers to whisk around the city, and guests can also arrive by helicopter, using a rooftop helipad.

维多利亚港气派雄伟的半岛酒店是香港历史最悠久的酒店，也是世界上最豪华的酒店之一。酒店有300个客房和套房，在金色装饰的华丽大堂里有下午茶提供。一尘不染的劳斯莱斯幻影系列车队停在酒店入口两侧，等待着把乘客迅速送到城市各处，客人还可以乘坐直升机抵达屋顶的直升机停机坪。

In August, the Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, the holding company that owns and operates the Peninsula and nine other locations worldwide, reported an underlying loss of $57 million for the first half of this year. In contrast, the company had an underlying profit of $19 million for the same period in 2019. This year’s loss was attributed in part to lackluster performance in Hong Kong, with weakened long-haul markets from the United States and Europe, in addition to Hong Kong residents traveling to nearby Shenzhen, in mainland China.

今年8月，拥有并经营香港和全球其他九家半岛酒店的控股集团香港上海大酒店有限公司报告称，今年上半年的基本亏损为2.57亿港元。相比之下，该公司2019年同期的基本利润为1.48亿港元。今年的亏损可部分归因于美国和欧洲的长距离旅行市场疲软，导致香港旅游业表现不佳，再加上香港居民前往附近的中国内地城市深圳。

Clement Kwok, the company’s chief executive, said that while Hong Kong continued to be affected by “weaker long-haul travel,” there were “positive signs of recovery.”

该公司总经理郭敬文说，虽然香港继续受“长距离旅行市场疲软”的影响，但已有“复苏的积极迹象”。

“An increasing number of overseas visitors to Hong Kong have realized that Hong Kong remains an attractive destination for both business and leisure travelers,” Mr. Kwok said.

“从海外来香港访问的越来越多旅客已意识到，香港仍是商务和休闲旅行的理想目的地，”郭敬文说。

Most of the 23 million visitors who came to Hong Kong between January and August traveled from mainland China, while fewer than two million came from long-haul markets, including the United States, Canada and Australia. This was about a million fewer long-haul tourists than in the same time period of 2019.

今年1月至8月，访港游客达到2300万人次，其中大多数来自中国内地，来自美国、加拿大和澳大利亚等长距离市场的游客不到200万人次。与2019年同期相比，长距离旅行的访港游客减少了约100万人次。

Across town in Central, the city’s business district, the Upper House is a five-star hotel with serene, minimalist interiors and rooms that start at $600 a night. The property has tried to lure guests with offers such as complimentary extra nights and curated wellness experiences.

位于市中心商业区中环的弈居是一家五星级酒店，内部装潢静谧简约，客房起价每晚4500港元。这家酒店已试图通过免费多住一晚和精选健康体验等优惠来吸引客人。

“It has taken time for international tourism to come back to Hong Kong,” said Kristina Snaith-Lense, the hotel’s general manager. “Our No. 1 long-haul leisure market is the U.S., followed by the U.K. And it’s coming. It’s just slower than anyone anticipated.”

“国际旅游业重返香港需要时间，”弈居总经理克里斯蒂娜·斯奈斯-伦斯说。“我们的第一大长距离休闲旅行市场是美国，其次是英国。市场正在重返。只是比所有人预期的都要慢。”

Airlines slow to restore service

航空公司恢复航班的速度慢

During the pandemic, global airlines drastically cut flights connecting Hong Kong to the rest of the world. Airlines have been slow to restore service.

疫情期间，全球的航空公司都大幅减少了连接香港与世界其他地区的航班。航空公司恢复这些航班的速度很慢。

The number of seats between Hong Kong and everywhere else is down 18 percent this October, compared with the same month five years ago, according to Cirium, an aviation data company. But the drops to and from certain regions are startling: a 34 percent decline in seats for connections to North America and a 41 percent decrease in those to Europe.

据航空数据公司Cirium的统计，今年10月从香港往返世界其他地区的航班座位数量与五年前的同期相比减少了18%。但往返于某些地区的座位数量下降惊人：香港往返北美的航班座位数减少了34%，往返欧洲的航班座位数减少了41%。

Some airlines, like Lufthansa, have slashed the number of seats by more than 60 percent. British Airways, which flies 42 percent fewer seats now than in 2019, is halving service from London to Hong Kong. (A spokesperson for British Airways told The South China Morning Post that operating costs had risen because the closure of Russian airspace.)

有些航空公司，如汉莎航空，已将座位数削减了60%以上。英国航空公司目前往返香港的航班座位数比2019年减少了42%，并正在把伦敦与香港之间的航班数减半。（英国航空公司的一名发言人对《南华早报》说，俄罗斯领空关闭已造成运营成本上升。）

Others, like American Airlines, haven’t resumed flights to Hong Kong. The airline discontinued service in December 2021, citing soft demand in Asia.

其他航空公司，如美国航空，尚未恢复飞往香港的航班。美国航空在2021年12月停飞了航班，理由是亚洲的需求疲软。

However, United Airlines, currently the only U.S. carrier with flights to Hong Kong, will soon operate more flights than it did before before the pandemic. Later this month, it will offer a second flight from Los Angeles, in addition to two daily flights operating from San Francisco.

但美国航司中目前唯一有飞港航班的联合航空不久将把飞香港的航班数增加到高于疫情前的水平。本月晚些时候，美联航将开通第二班每天从洛杉矶飞往香港的航班，它每天已经有两个从旧金山飞往香港的航班。

Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president for global network planning and alliances, said that the additional flights to Hong Kong would give customers more flexibility.

美联航负责全球飞航网路规划和结盟的高级副总裁帕特里克·奎尔说，增加飞往香港的航班将为乘客提供更大的灵活性。

“Coming out of the pandemic, the increased service will provide more connectivity and optionality to one of the world’s premier business destinations,” Mr. Quayle said.

“疫情过去之后，这些增加的航班将为全球最著名的商务旅行目的地之一提供更多的连接和选择，”奎尔说。

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways, which has struggled with pilot shortages, said it aimed to have all of its prepandemic flights back by early 2025, and would be increasing the number of flights between Hong Kong and North America next year. And ongoing work on a third runway system at Hong Kong International Airport, which would significantly boost the airport’s capacity, is scheduled for completion by the end of this year.

香港的国泰航空表示目标是在2025年初恢复所有疫情前的航班，并将在明年增加香港与北美之间的航班数量。国泰一直受飞行员短缺问题的困扰。香港国际机场的第三条跑道系统目前仍在建设中，预计将于年底完工，这将大大提高机场的飞机起降数量。

‘The energy of the city is still there’

“这座城市的活力仍在”

Flight connectivity is far from the only obstacle.

空中交通远非唯一的障碍。

“It’s a lot of twisted perceptions about Hong Kong,” said Dane Cheng, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, at a recent news conference. That, he continued, “is most difficult for us to deal with, particularly in the long-haul markets.”

“人们对香港有很多扭曲的看法，”香港旅游发展局总干事程鼎一在最近的一个记者会上表示。那是“我们最难解决的问题，尤其是在长距离旅行市场”，他继续说。

He added that visitors would feel different once they came.

他还表示，游客一旦来到这里，会有不同的感觉。

The tourism board has stacked the calendar with events to entice tourists. In October alone, Hong Kong will host a food and wine festival, a major cycling event, a jazz festival and a professional women’s tennis tournament. In December, two giant pandas given by the Chinese government will go on public view at the Ocean Park theme park.

旅游发展局已安排了一系列盛事以吸引游客。仅今年10月份就将举办香港美酒佳肴巡礼、大型自行车比赛、爵士音乐节，以及女子职业网球公开赛。今年12月，公众将在在海洋公园首次看到中央政府赠送的两只大熊猫。

And there are big hopes for the new Kai Tak Sports Park, scheduled to open in March, to draw tourists from both near and far. Coldplay will perform three shows at the park’s 50,000-seat stadium in April.

人们对定于明年3月开门、新建的启德体育园寄予厚望，希望它能把附近和远方的游客吸引来。酷玩乐队将于明年4月在这个有5万个座位的体育场举行三场演出。

The Tourism Board has also highlighted improving customer service for workers in service and hospitality, with a directive to “smile more.” Videos released online by the board promote attentive hospitality and “going the extra mile” while serving customers in restaurants and taxis. There’s even one about demonstrating courtesy while shoe shopping.

旅游发展局也强调了服务和酒店行业改进从业人员客户服务的重要性，指示他们“多微笑”。该局在网上发布的视频提倡餐馆和出租车为顾客服务时要细心周到，“加倍努力”。甚至还有一段有关顾客买鞋时如何以礼相待的视频。

Curtis Bergh, whom I met in an airport lounge at Hong Kong International Airport, maintained that “the energy of the city is still there.” Mr. Bergh, a 41-year-old who works as a start-up consultant, lives in Taiwan and said he visits Hong Kong often.

我在香港国际机场的贵宾室遇到的柯蒂斯·伯格坚称，“这座城市的活力仍在。”现年41岁的伯格是一名创业顾问，住在台湾，他自称经常去香港。

But noting the departure of many businesses to other cities such as Singapore, he remarked that “people’s perceptions have changed.”

但他也注意到许多企业已迁往新加坡等其他城市，并表示“人们的看法已经变了”。

A crackdown by the authorities in Hong Kong has raised concerns among western companies and officials. Governments among Hong Kong’s top tourism markets, including the United States and Canada, have advised their citizens to exercise increased caution when visiting. The U.S. State Department warned that the Hong Kong government had “dramatically restricted civil liberties” and encouraged travelers to “keep a low profile.”

香港当局压制异见的做法引起了西方公司和官员的担忧。美国和加拿大等国曾是香港主要的入境旅游市场，这些国家的政府已建议本国公民去香港旅行时要更加谨慎。美国国务院警告，香港政府“大幅限制公民自由”，并劝告去那里旅行的人“保持低调”。

The government began prosecuting journalists and pro-democracy activists under an expanded national security law adopted last March. Acts like wearing a T-shirt with a protest slogan or criticizing China’s leader, Xi Jinping, on social media have landed Hong Kong citizens in prison with sentences exceeding a year.

香港去年3月通过了《维护国家安全条例草案》后，政府开始用该法律来惩罚记者和民主活动人士。已有香港公民因为穿着印有抗议口号的T恤，或在社交媒体上批评中国领导人习近平等行为而被判处一年以上的监禁。

After a ride on the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbor, I disembarked in Kowloon. There, I spotted a billboard with mug shots of people sought by the Hong Kong Police Force for pro-independence efforts. All were accused of endangering national security; cash rewards were being offered for information leading to their arrest.

从维多利亚港乘天星小轮在九龙下船后，我看到一块广告牌，上面贴着被香港警方通缉者的大头照，通缉的原因是他们支持香港独立。他们都被指控危害国家安全；警方悬赏捉拿归案的线索。

Another day, I took the tram up Victoria Peak, a viewpoint that offers staggering vistas of the city. About seven million people visit each year, according to the peak’s website. The ride was both extremely scenic and vertical.

还有一天，我乘坐缆车来到太平山顶，从这里可将香港的壮丽景色一览无遗。据山顶缆车网站，每年约有700万人来这里观光。缆车几乎是垂直升降，一路风景优美。

At the top, I spoke with Venita Ross, an educator visiting from Salt Lake City. She had added a few days in Hong Kong after a work trip to Seoul.

我在山顶上与来自盐湖城的教育工作者温妮特·罗斯进行了交谈。她去首尔出差后顺道来港停留数天。

“I just wanted to see it. It has always been a dream,” said Ms. Ross, of her first visit to the city. “There’s so much people, so much shopping, there’s so much entrepreneurship; it looks like a thriving economy.”

“我只是想看看香港。这一直是我的梦想，”罗斯说，这是她第一次来香港。“这里有很多人，很多的购物，还有很多的创业精神；经济看起来也繁荣。”

That made me think of a conversation I had with another tourist, whom I met on the Avenue of Stars, admiring the statue of the martial arts star Bruce Lee.

这让我想起了我与另一名游客的对话，我们在星光大道上相遇时，她正驻足观看功夫明星李小龙的雕像。

Victoria Hamade, visiting from Qatar with her husband and young daughter, said she initially didn’t have a lot of expectations for Hong Kong. But she’d been impressed by the scenery and the shopping, and said the quiet was nice.

维多利亚·哈马德与丈夫和一个年幼的女儿一起从卡塔尔来香港旅游，她说她最初对香港没有太多期待。但她已对这里的风景和购物留下了深刻印象，并说游客少也不是坏事。

“I was expecting a lot of tourists, but it’s not like that,” she said.

“我原以为会有很多游客，但情况不是这样，”她说。

Daniel, her husband, was quick to interject. “I think there are a lot of local tourists,” he said. “Most of them seem like they’re from other parts of China, not Western tourists.”

她的丈夫丹尼尔很快插了句话。“我觉得这里有很多本地游客，”他说。“他们中的大多数看起来是来自中国其他地方，不是西方游客。”