I continue to receive emails from toy industry members who have recently been or are in Hong Kong. For us all to better understand the conditions there, I will continue to run these letters as I receive them. The one below is from J.B. Frere, President of The Learning Journey International. Mr. Frere has permitted me to include his name.
Hello Richard,
After reading the below, I feel as though I must give you my recent experience in HK. I have just returned to the States last weekend after being in HK since the Dallas Toy Fair. Having visited HK 3 to 4 times a year for the past 25+ years, I thought I might share my own perspective.
- Safety is of no concern. Hotels are great to assist travelers and informative of upcoming events.
- Protest locations are generally announced in advance. So be smart and stay clear of demonstration areas.
- Sundays have now become the “demonstration day” if they are to occur.
- We had two weeks of meetings in our showroom leading up to the Canton Fair. All Europeans customers made the trip, a fair number of Australian customers canceled citing the HK protests.
Bottom line, HK is still a great city and one of the safest places to visit. There is no reason not to make the trip. Be smart and be vigilant, just as you would in any visiting city. And before you go, ask your HK hotel for a better rate, there are deals to be made.
Take care and all the best,
J.B. Frere l President l The Learning Journey International, LLC
