London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Hong Kongers packing to leave, this time for good

Disillusioned over the city’s future, people are leaving in droves as travel agencies, consultancies and airlines cash in

While Hong Kong’s travel sector has been hit hard as tourists from overseas stay away, they are making up for the drop in business as locals pack their bags and leave.

Hong Kong’s overall tourist arrivals plunged by as much as two-thirds in November, according to government data.

However, like the emerging upward swing in outbound trips as Hongkongers seek an escape overseas during the festive season from the incessant social turmoil at home, the city’s travel agencies have also found a lifeline as many executives and professionals have been packing their bags and leaving the city for good.

In the past, an exodus would always follow a major crisis or uncertainties engulfing Hong Kong, be it the collapse of talks between London and Beijing in the 1980s delineating the territory’s post-handover course, or the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing in June 1989.

In the midst of the current unrest ignited by a now-retracted China extradition bill, many Hongkongers, disillusioned with the city’s political future after more than two decades under Chinese rule, are determined to leave with their families and they have no plans to return, according to some travel agency managers and immigration consultants.

The trend is also borne out by the noticeable spike in the number of applications for Certificate of No Criminal Conviction received by the Hong Kong police since June, the beginning of the mass protests and pitched battles between demonstrators and constables due to the much-deplored extradition bill.

The police issued more than 31,000 such certificates, necessary when one takes up residence overseas, between June and mid-December, a 35% jump year-on-year.

While the deep-pocketed lay their eyes on destinations from Taipei to Toronto and San Francisco to Sydney, where there are sizable diasporas of Hong Kong emigrants, some wage earners and job starters are considering off-the-beaten-track nations like Malaysia, Greece and Portugal, lured by lower thresholds and less application red tape.

For instance, non-EU applicants can invest €350,000 in real estate, a modest lump sum compared with the requirements in Canada or Australia, to qualify for the right of abode, and they can then get Portuguese nationality after six years.

An applicant is only required to be psychically in the country for seven to 14 days in the initial years, and they can take their spouse, parents and children without the need to fill out separate applications.

Hong Kong papers report that travel agencies are rushing to cash in on the demand by launching guided tours to these countries, with week-long itineraries packed with visits to not only the tourist attractions, but also local real estate firms, schools and healthcare facilities. Some even offer full tour fare reimbursement if one’s subsequent application is successful.

One travel group has already received 70 inquiries, with places being snapped up, after it launched a themed tour to Lisbon and Porto departing during the Chinese New Year break at the end of January, according to the Ming Pao Daily.

Another immigration agency has also been inundated by inquiries with a five-fold increase in applications since June, compared with the same period a year ago, and Taiwan, Malaysia, Portugal and Ireland are among the most popular destinations.

Professor Paul Yip, Associate Dean of the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Social Sciences, said he was particularly worried that at a time when the city’s lure had largely waned amid the protracted protests, the wave of exits and the vote of no confidence by local professionals and middle-class families would deal a crippling blow to the city’s competitiveness.

Yip said that unlike the numerous Hongkongers who, after obtaining their Canadian or Australian citizenship, returned to the city for career advancement spurred by the booming economy and positive outlook for the future in the 1990s and 2000s, the worsening political climate had been a “push factor” and not too many who have already left or were planning to do so would miss their home city too much.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×