Riviera of the Orient: Pre-War Hong Kong and the Making of Global Tourism Network

In 1935, the Economic Commission for the British Colony of Hong Kong published a report emphasizing the urgent need to develop the tourist industry. The Commission recommended that the government establish a dedicated organization, the Hong Kong Travel Association (1935), to promote tourism development and showcase Hong Kong as a premier destination with iconic attractions and well-developed infrastructure, drawing inspiration from successful tourism models abroad. With the improvement of transportation networks, Hong Kong was marketed as the "Riviera of the Orient," an ideal location for sea-bathing and a warm winter getaway for global tourists.

This study will analyze official visual advertisements and guidebooks to examine the historical evolution of the tourism industry in pre-war Hong Kong and explore how the tourist gaze shaped Hong Kong into a Riviera-style tourist destination for global visitors. The objective of this paper is to argue how these tourism developments and activities facilitated Hong Kong's integration into the global tourism market in the pre-World War II era.