In the one breath we were told that a campaign named "happy@Hongkong" has just been launched to restore the city's image as a friendly place to visit, then we were flabbergasted to find that Hong Kong finished 39th, or third last, in a survey of 41 countries or regions on whether shop assistants here greet customers with a friendly smile!

What a slap in the face for Hong Kong, and what a painful blow to our city's image. As the CEO of one of our leading public relations companies correctly said, "The timing could not have been worse - what a terrible PR disaster. I'd hate to pick up the pieces and try to rebuild Hong Kong's image after a train wreck like this."

On top of this, customer service staff in Hong Kong also received a black mark for the frigid reception they gave to the people who were actually carrying out the survey. Only 58 out of every 100 were rewarded with a smile and a friendly greeting, placing Hong Kong second last in this category. The "winner" was our neighbor Macao, which was rewarded for its surly response to customers and ran last with a lousy 53 percent.

As painful as these findings are, they are a true picture of the societal values of Hong Kong today. This unwelcoming and unfriendly situation among sales staff is symptomatic of the mood of negativity and churlishness that has taken such a firm grip across Hong Kong.

The reaction of some people might be to say, "So what - it's just another survey. They're always criticising us. Who cares?" To which the answer is that everybody in Hong Kong should care very a great deal because it involves our future economic stability that is so closely interwoven with the tourist industry.

What would be the point of building a third runway at the international airport if the anticipated visitors from overseas aren't arriving there? How will our hotels and the associated hospitality industry survive if we don't continue not just to attract visitors, but greet them with genuine warmth and make them very welcome and ready to open their wallets?

The sad fact is that today's Hong Kong is crawling with sourpusses who - for no apparent reason - have a king-size chip on their shoulder. One look at them and the visitors of the future will start asking themselves whether they made a costly error in choosing Hong Kong as their destination.

For example, let's look back on the start of an average working day and see how we treat one another. When you get into the lift in the morning to go to work how often do you hear a friendly "good morning" being spoken? No. Instead you have to fight your way in, and your chest still hurts from a blow from an elbow. And when you enter your office how many colleagues offer a friendly smile and a cheery word? Regrettably most of us seem so caught up in the daily "rat race" we have forgotten our manners.

But such unfriendliness isn't limited to office workers. Walk along a street anywhere on either side of the harbor and you will encounter grim-faced people who do not flinch to bump you if you don't get out of their way. Then there are the mobile phone morons jabbering away at the top of their voices and impervious to others in public places and likely to walk over you if you're not careful. Every section of the community has its share of such unfeeling nasties.

A couple who returned here after 20 years "because we missed Hong Kong so much" related a series of unpleasant experiences that combined into a major turnoff. "When looking for gifts to take back to our family in Canada we found staff at luxury stores unwelcoming and distinctly abrupt. The standard of service was most disappointing. The general atmosphere in Hong Kong was quite unfriendly. About the only place that didn't seem to have changed much was the Temple Street Night Market in Yau Ma Tei - that was probably our most enjoyable experience. We won't be back."

What has gone wrong with Hong Kong and its outgoing and welcoming spirit of yesteryear? It seems that in recent years we have stumbled from one negative development to another which many would blame on the political tension in the air brought on by the endless arguments over universal suffrage.

The recent decision to restrict the movements of parallel traders across our borders might help reduce social friction. But that we have to resort to such drastic measures certainly didn't enhance our reputation as a "Shoppers' Paradise". It will also make cashed-up mainlanders think twice about visiting a city which has made its dislike of them.

The proposed "happy@Hongkong" campaign is sorely needed, but its success hinges entirely on Hong Kong people getting right behind it and giving it their full support.

The author is a former journalist and civil servant.

(HK Edition 04/29/2015 page10)