Analysis of the Role of Hong Kong's Key Industries During the Pandemic of COVID-19

Abstract

This study investigates the variables that affect and encourage inbound travel to Hong Kong using data from 2019 to 2020. Five important regional source markets for tourism in Hong Kong have been chosen, namely Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, and South Korea. Based on the research results, the COVID-19 pandemic had a major destructive effect on Hong Kong's tourism sectors while significantly impact the quantity of inbound tourists due to government response to COVID-19 infection case. The quantity of inbound tourists to Hong Kong is significantly impacted by the government's actions based on the COVID-19 infection cases. Additionally, existence of COVID-19 in the tourism source countries is often considered when defining Hong Kong's travel restrictions. According to the empirical findings, the demand for visitor arrivals was also lowered by the distance to Hong Kong and the expensive cost of travel there, while the expansion of tourism was facilitated by improved aviation services and potential for the tourism sector. These results demonstrate that for the city to be recognized as an attracting and cherished tourist destination, the tourism sector and the government must collaborate to restore after the pandemic. The complementary nature of pandemic control and tourist recovery is highlighted by this study. To establish a positive ripple effect, these operative and budgetary standards must demand the government to provide early recovery support to tourism sectors.