8 June 2016 – The 2015 PolyU Tourist Satisfaction Index (PolyU TSI) and Tourism Service Quality Index (PolyU TSQI) show general increases compared with the 2014 results, according to a report released by the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The 2015 PolyU TSI and PolyU TSQI stood at 74.71 and 75.22 respectively, both recording an increase.

The PolyU TSI increased by 0.21 points from 74.50 in 2014, a slight increase suggesting that tourists were generally more satisfied with the tourism services in Hong Kong than tourists interviewed in 2014, although the level of satisfaction varied across the source markets. At the same time, the PolyU TSQI recorded an increase of 0.71 points from 74.51 in 2014.

“In 2015, the tourism industry in Hong Kong underwent some turbulence caused by various social and political issues in 2014 and 2015,” observed Professor Haiyan Song, SHTM Associate Dean and Principal Investigator of the PolyU TSI. “It is noteworthy to point out that these issues appeared to affect more on the satisfaction levels of tourists from the Americas, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific as well as Europe, Africa and the Middle East than that of those from Mainland China.”

Against this backdrop, the Americas were the source market receiving the highest PolyU TSI score of 80.17, a drop of 0.99 points from 81.16 in 2014. This was followed by Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific (78.37), down 1.28 points; Europe, Africa and the Middle East (75.30), with a continuous drop of 1.51 points; South and Southeast Asia (74.72), down 0.88 points; Mainland China (73.64), increasing 0.06 points; Taiwan and Macau (72.69), up 1.44 points; and Japan and Korea (66.29), dropping 0.69 points.

Among the six service sectors, transportation received the highest PolyU TSI score followed by attractions, immigration, retail shops, restaurants and hotels.

The PolyU TSI evaluates service sector competitiveness not only over time but also across international tourist destinations. It has been adopted by destinations including Singapore and Macau in 2010, China’s Guangdong province in 2012 and Australia in 2014. “The 2015 PolyU TSI is the seventh release of the index since its launch in 2009 and it is hoped that increasing numbers of destinations will consider to use the widespread framework to measure destination competitiveness,” Professor Haiyan Song said.

Meanwhile, the PolyU TSQI launched in 2012 is a weighted average of the six tourism service quality indices, representing the overall tourism service quality of Hong Kong.

Among the seven source markets, tourists from the Americas recorded the highest PolyU TSQI score of 80.84, a decrease of 0.85 points compared to the previous year. That is followed by Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific (80.00), dropping 0.11 points; Mainland China (75.64), increasing 0.74 points; Europe, Africa and the Middle East (74.93), dropping 3.20 points; South and Southeast Asia (73.83), down 1.88 points; Taiwan and Macau (72.64), increasing 0.02 points; and Japan and Korea (65.27), dropping 0.33 points.

The 2015 PolyU TSQI score (75.22) was 0.51 points higher than the PolyU TSI (74.71) for the same year. The deviation between the two indices indicates areas where service performance failed to boost tourist satisfaction.

Professor Kaye Chon, SHTM Dean and Principal Investigator of the PolyU TSQI remarked, “The tourism industry in Hong Kong has suffered over the past two years and the city must rethink its strategies to regain visitors’ confidence and rebuild their interests in Hong Kong as an international destination.”

“Using the PolyU TSI and PolyU TSQI frameworks, we believe sustainable tourism can be achieved by helping tourism stakeholders better understand their competitiveness and abilities in delivering high-quality experiences to tourists. The indices will help the public sector of Hong Kong with the formulation of policies that enhance Hong Kong’s attractiveness as an international destination,” he said.

PolyU TSI and TSQI website: http://www.touristsatisfaction.org