HK protesters should end violence as residents' livelihoods are at stake

THE DEMONSTRATIONS AND VIOLENCE IN HONG KONG over the past three months have dealt a serious blow to the city's tourism industry, undermining its image as an international tourist destination and affecting the livelihoods of the city's residents, especially those employed in the tourism industry. China Daily writer Wang Yiqing comments:

August is the traditional tourist peak season for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. But the violent demonstrations have kept tourists away from Hong Kong this August.

According to Chen Maobo, financial secretary to the Hong Kong SAR government, tourist arrivals in August dropped by 2.4 million, a decline of 40 percent year-on-year, causing an economic loss of 12 billion yuan ($1.69 billion) to the tourism industry. The occupancy rate in some Hong Kong hotels declined by more than 50 percent, with room tariff dropping by 40 to 70 percent. The retail and catering industries, too, have suffered huge losses.