Dedicated part-time ambassadors use expert knowledge of Hong Kong to point tourists in right direction and help them enjoy stay
ALLEN AU-YEUNGallen.auyeung@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Wednesday, 23 September, 2015, 12:00am
UPDATED : Wednesday, 23 September, 2015, 12:00am
Tourist Louise Harding and 11-year-old son Jonathan get advice from Angel Yeung Pui-yi (left) and Jaclyn Chan Miu-ling.Photo: Bruce Yan
Angel Yeung Pui-yi is not an ordinary Hong Kong housewife who just looks after her family. In her spare time, she is also an ambassador for Hong Kong, using her knowledge of the city to offer travel tips and advice to tourists from around the world.
Yeung, 53, is one of 57 volunteers of the Tourism Board's "Hong Kong Pals" programme, who spend their spare time helping out at the city's visitor centres at the Star Ferry pier in Tsim Sha Tsui, The Peak, Hong Kong International Airport and the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.
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She said one of her most memorable experiences came when she met a Vietnamese family arriving at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. "They came to me asking for help. It turned out they booked their hotels in Vietnam and not Hong Kong. They were a big family and didn't know what to do. They worried they might have to sleep rough in Hong Kong. So I ended up helping them to look for a place to stay. They were very lucky!"
While volunteering, Yeung has made many friends. One of them is Jaclyn Chan Miu-ling, 50, who used to be an assistant curator at the Hong Kong Museum of History. Throughout the past year, Chan, like Yeung, dedicated over 100 hours of her spare time to help out at visitor centres.
Visitors capture the view from The Peak. Photo: Edward Wong"The fact that I used to be a curator is very useful when I need to explain information to tourists. The visitors from Europe and America tend to come to Hong Kong more prepared. They want to see historic buildings and walk inside. They are interested in exploring the city and aren't satisfied with just visiting the basic attractions."
Chan said her proudest moment while volunteering was when she successfully changed the impression of tourists about Hong Kong.
"Once, I met a group of Tibetan tourists at the Star Ferry Pier. They told me they wanted to leave Hong Kong early because they thought there was nothing else to see. It turned out they were only staying in the shopping areas in Mong Kok, so their impression of the city was that it was only an urban jungle.
"So, I suggested they should check out alternative tourist spots on the outlying islands. They ended up deciding to stay and I was really happy."
Hoping to recruit at least 10 more volunteers this year even though there has been a slump in tourist arrivals in recent months, a Tourism Board spokeswoman said volunteers like Yeung and Chan had been helping to share the workload of full-time staff at key tourist hubs in the city.
"At the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, for example, it can get really busy. So the volunteers act as an extra pair of hands," she said. "With their local knowledge, the volunteers help to enhance the travel experience for our tourists, which is a bonus."
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/economy/article/1860555/volunteer-hong-kong-pals-help-tourists-get-most-city
