Jarring Pre-Pandemic Scenes of Hong Kong

Cummins trying to hitch a ride with the old Peak Tram...

Now that Hong Kong is somewhat open with "0+3", which means no quarantine on arrival, but for three days no going to restaurants, bars, and crowded areas, though conducting RAT and PCR tests for seven days, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has finally dusted off its offices since the 2019 protests and is actually promoting the city again!

It has produced a trio of slick videos featuring well known Australian rugby player and world traveler Nick "Honey Badger" Cummins exploring Hong Kong. 

Wear a straw hat and carry a fan on the tram

It's not his first time in the city -- he has played at Rugby Sevens many times over the years. 

But when watching the videos, it's quite jarring to see the image of Hong Kong that is presented compared to the pandemic reality.

In one he rides the tram with a peasant straw hat and whips out a folded fan... like a local. He of course tries street food, like steamed rice rolls which he does a decent job of saying in Cantonese, and takes the Star Ferry.

Another video shows him riding the Peak Tram -- which has since been changed to a newer model and is now green in colour. 

There's also a picture of him having dinner at Tung Po Kitchen, the restaurant located in the Java Road Municipal Services Building that has since been shut down.

Tung Po Kitchen has since closed...

In all three videos, no one is wearing a mask! Cummins goes to a wing chun class and no one is masked up either! Where are the police cracking down on them and making them pay fines of HK$5,000 each? It's as if the Covid-19 pandemic never happened! 

And where's his LeaveHomeSafe app?

Apparently these videos were filmed in January 2020 right when the pandemic began, then were edited and ready to go, but didn't anyone at HKTB realise they might have to reshoot some things?

Another is seeing the credits for these videos -- aside from the HKTB, no one in the creative team is Chinese, at least from what we can tell from the names. 

This campaign launches October 5 till November 28 in a bid to get Australians to come to Hong Kong. But until it's "0+0", good luck. And flights cost an arm and a leg too. Probably not issues the HKTB can fix...