In spite of nation-dividing protests in Hong Kong over the past five months, conducting business remains a possibility – if you follow the right steps. That’s according to sources who told eTNW it was safe to travel to Hong Kong, and that there were many ways for visitors to work around the demonstrations, including a protest tracking service.
The HK Map Live tracking service helps to locate where demonstrations are planned and makes it easier to avoid any protests. The service was initially available as an app, but when Apple pulled it out of the market days after introduction, users have turned to the browser version.
Hong Kong imports and exports have been heavily affected by the protests, with shops and companies closing and public transport in disarray. Travellers have been holding off on travel plans amid safety concerns.
Visitors are advised not to rely on public transport, which had been severely affected by the riots, and to stay as close to the airport as possible. The rail service that connects the airport and the city in 22 minutes, the Airport Express, has regularly experienced delays, while roadblocks on highways have caused major disruption to road travel.
The HK protest, also known as the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (Anti-ELAB) movement, is in response to the Fugitive Offenders and Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Legislation Bill proposed by the Hong Kong government in February 2019.
If introduced, the Bill will implement a system where the Hong Kong chief executive can extradite fugitives to any jurisdiction, even if the country does not have a formal extradition treaty with the special administrative region. However, many have hit back at the Bill, particularly the youth, fearing it would open the door to further regulation from the Chinese government.
