There is a very tight-knit group of Private Tour Guides in Hong Kong who share valuable insights and knowledge on a daily basis. I am proud to be a founding member of this dedicated group of professionals, which has been committed to delivering exceptional experiences for their guests for over a decade.

It's important to note that I personally have never relied on prepared scripts in my work. Renowned as a master storyteller, my approach sets me apart from what I commonly refer to as "hired local guides" prevalent in Hong Kong. These guides, usually quite young and bound by scripted itineraries, often lack the depth of knowledge and passion for storytelling. In stark contrast, I pioneered private tours in Hong Kong, entering the scene in 2011 after a thorough year long research phase that began in 2010. I remain up to date on all the great tour operators, distinguishing between the exceptional, the mediocre, and the downright poor.

You should also be aware that all the big online tour operators (Viator | Get Your Guide | Booking.com | Expedia | With Locals | Klook and the like) now use AI - Chat GPT to write all the tour descriptions | content in perfect English and frankly the reality is, the local guide may or may not be fluent in English which may (or may not) affect your experience.

For those considering booking a tour in Hong Kong, I emphatically recommend opting for a private tour. Ideally, seek out a private tour led by the owner of the company, typically a long-term resident of Hong Kong and who simply love telling the Hong Kong story.

One of my most endearing qualities (so I have been told!) is that I say it as I see it, I do not shy away from difficult subjects and after living here continuously for 25 years under British rule and 27 years under Chinese rule (for a total of 52 years) I have rather a unique perspective on what makes Hong Kong tick - my wife is local and we have 3 grown up son‛s all of them born and educated in Hong Kong, two of them still live in Hong Kong whilst our oldest son lives in London, UK.

Hong Kong remains unique despite what you might see | read in the news and after a few hours talking with me I believe you will come away with a much better understanding of one of the World’s great cities, yes, Hong Kong - Pearl of the Orient

I was one of the most highly rated private tour guides in Asia having completed 2,324 private tours in Hong Kong between April 2011 - January 2020 | serving 6,000 + guests and having lived here for 52 years I know the place, I am a real Hong Kong expert.

Tourism was essentially suspended in Hong Kong for 3 years from February 2020 to February 2023 due to the Covid Pandemic and it gave me plenty of time to come up with a new concept to offer to visitors coming Hong Kong who want to learn more about this fabulous city!

Possible scenario‛s for visitors coming to learn about Hong Kong include :-

• option 1 - visitors do NOT want to take a paid tour of any kind and would prefer to explore on their own and research information on the net or use a guide book

• option 2 - they are happy to book a so called “free tour” and along with 20+ people listen to a scripted commentary from a bored and underpaid and generally very young freelance guides

• option 3 - book a coach tour at the Hotel Tour Desk in the lobby and watch the world go by along with 20+ other people and do the mandatory stop at a jewellery factory under the guise of it being a cultural experience and if you are really lucky have your photograph taken and transferred to a plate! (I kid you not)

• option 4 - book a paid tour from any number of tour companies who use for the most part hired | freelance guides

• option 5 - book a paid private tour where the tour is given by the owner | operator and who ( in general ) is a long term Hong Kong resident so quality is assured and yes I am friends with all the best ones!

I was a pioneer of Hong Kong Private Tours, starting in late 2010 when tour options were limited to booking a tour at the Hotel Tour Desk and being ferried around Hong Kong on a bus with 20+ other people, I know the industry, I know the players and what is on offer and my own tour history speaks for itself.