HONG KONG: Hong Kong has sought the help of Australian former rugby star Nick Honey Badger Cummins to draw back visitors - albeit using footage filmed before the COVID-19 epidemic, when masks were not compulsory.
The tourism industry in the city has been wiped out by the pandemic border controls that have left it internationally isolated.
In the first half of the year, it recorded just 76,000 arrivals, down from 65 million for all of 2018.
China's finance hub is gearing up for a grand reopening in early November to coincide with the Rugby Sevens tournament and a banking summit.
In three videos published on Wednesday October 5 reality TV personality Cummins, renowned for his playing career for on-field aggression and colourful post-match interviews, takes in various tourist sites.
I can't wait for the Aussies to explore Hong Kong like I did, Cummins enthused in the press release announcing the ads.
But face masks, which remain compulsory in Hong Kong for virtually all public settings, were nowhere to be seen in the ads, as neither was there any sign of the ubiquitous app used to scan entry into venues.
One of the restaurants Cummins visits, a once-legendary establishment called Tung Po, was shut down by city officials last month over a tenancy dispute.
A Tourism Board spokeswoman told AFP the videos were shot in January 2020 and that scenes and visuals in all promotional materials were made for advertising and creative purposes only Hong Kong scrapped 2.5 years of mandatory quarantine for overseas arrivals, long after regional tourist rivals such as Singapore and Bangkok.
Visitors aren't allowed to enter bars or restaurants for the first three days and must undergo multiple coronaviruses tests.
There is still a ban on public gatherings of more than four people.