On 28 April 2023, the SHTM announced the results of a study entitled "A Decision Support System for Post-COVID Tourism Policy Formation and Monitoring." The study developed a cloud-based social listening platform, TOUROMETER, to measure Hong Kong residents' sentiment towards visitors and tourism development and visitors' sentiment towards Hong Kong tourism.
Instead of using traditional measures to estimate support for tourism, such as
those that classify attitudes as positive or negative, this study used a more refined concept – ambivalence – which can capture positive and negative views that are simultaneously held by an individual. TOUROMETER is thus a tool that policymakers can use to monitor the ambivalence of relevant stakeholders towards tourists and tourism development, and is also an effective channel by which to garner public engagement to achieve collaborative planning.
Led by Professor Cathy Hsu, Principal
Investigator and SHTM Chair Professor, the study was funded by the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme, Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office. The study employed rigorous research methods, including analyses of longitudinal news and social media big data through meta-learning algorithms and statistical modelling using economic, environmental, tourism and census data.
Over the last 4 years, the unprecedented challenges of social unrest and the COVID-19 pandemic have substantially
disrupted Hong Kong tourism. These challenges, however, provide opportunities to review past experience and thereby improve policymaking in preparation for future problems. In particular, policies aimed at attracting tourists from mainland China, the dominant source market representing 78% of arrivals to Hong Kong in 2018, and spearheading a healthy post-COVID-19 tourism recovery deserve holistic consideration. The massive influx of mainland Chinese tourists since the launch of the Individual
Visit Scheme in 2003 has facilitated the exponential growth of tourism. However, it has simultaneously placed a heavy burden on local people, intensifying tensions between Hong Kong residents and mainland tourists. A lesson to be learnt is that understanding and monitoring the sentiment of both residents and visitors is critical for the development of effective policies and timely changes to prevent the occurrence of detrimental and insoluble conflicts.
TOUROMETER offers a public policy
decision-support system to understand public opinion in a timely and continuous manner. The study team collected sentiment data of Hong Kong residents and mainland Chinese tourists on popular social media platforms (e.g., Twitter and Ctrip) and 19 major Hong Kong newspapers from 2003 onwards. The results were as follows.
(1) The dispositions of Hong Kong residents in news stories substantially differ from their dispositions in social media posts. For example, the existence of positive
news stories about a given topic does not necessarily mean that there exist positive social media posts about the topic. In general, residents' disposition on social media is less positive and more ambivalent towards mainland Chinese tourists and tourism development than that found in the news.
(2) Hong Kong residents' disposition towards Hong Kong tourism development is significantly correlated with their disposition towards mainland Chinese tourists. The more ambivalent residents are
towards mainland Chinese tourists, the more ambivalent they are towards tourism development.
(3) The economy, environment and quality of life have significant effects on Hong Kong residents' dispositions towards mainland Chinese tourists and tourism development. Specifically, the higher the GDP per capita and the higher the level of air pollution, the less positive and the more ambivalent residents are towards mainland Chinese tourists; however, the higher the unemployment rate, the
more positive and the less ambivalent residents are towards mainland Chinese tourists and tourism development.
(4) Mainland Chinese tourists' perception of Hong Kong tourism is significantly correlated with Hong Kong's economy and environment and residents' sentiment. The better the economy and environment, the more positive is the tourists' perception of Hong Kong tourism; however, the more negative the residents' sentiment, the less positive is the tourists' perception of Hong Kong
tourism.
It is therefore important to balance the interests of residents and tourists to achieve social sustainability. TOUROMETER is a useful tool for various tourism stakeholders, as it enables individuals' opinions to be collected in a timely manner to inform public policies. It also enables industry practitioners to recognise social issues and manage risks and opportunities effectively, and allows the government to monitor public opinion holistically and formulate or amend policies
efficiently. When sentiment trends below an acceptable level, policies can be devised or revised to address the underlying problems. The factors identified as influencing residents' and tourists' perceptions of Hong Kong tourism should also be monitored. Appropriate policies can then be implemented to cultivate positive sentiment and reduce negative sentiment.
With the reopening of the border between Hong Kong and mainland China, Hong Kong's tourism industry is welcoming spring after a
long winter. Now is the time to balance the interests of various stakeholders to achieve long-term competitiveness, because when hosts are happy, guests are happy. This study provides a unique tool and important information that will enhance the ability of the government of Hong Kong to support the sustainable development of its tourism industry. The SHTM is proud to support the development of the tourism industry in this manner.
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