Hong Kong Tennis Open postponed due to protests as tourist numbers plummet
The pro-democracy protests gripping Hong Kong have forced the Hong Kong Tennis Open to be postponed, organisers said Friday, as tourist numbers plummet.
The announcement comes as Hong Kong prepares for yet another uncertain weekend amid protests triggered 15 weeks ago by a controversial bill that would allow people facing criminal charges to be extradited to China. Paul Chan Mo-po, Hong Kong’s financial secretary, said the number of tourists arriving to Hong Kong has plunged 40 percent compared to last August.
The city owes much of its usually booming tourism industry to the hordes of visitors coming from mainland China. In January, the Hong Kong Tourism Board said Hong Kong’s tourist arrivals reached a new high of 65.1 million last year, 51 million of which were mainland Chinese tourists.
The protests have dented these figures, however, and July saw the first dip in mainland visitors since January 2018.
The organisers of the Hong Kong Tennis Open said after discussions with key stakeholders, they had decided that “the smooth running of the tournament” would be “better assured at a later time.”
The event was originally meant to take place October 5th to 13th. No new date has been set, but the statement added that discussions were underway to fix a new one.
The extradition bill has been formally dropped, but activists continue to protest, saying the city’s leader is only meeting one out of their five core demands.
They want an independent committee set up to investigate allegations of police violence against protesters over the past few months, and call for Carrie Lam, the chief executive, to step down.
