Tourism



The tourism industry is one of the major pillars of the


economy of Hong Kong. The total tourism expenditure


associated to inbound tourism exceeded HK0 billion in


2006.


The encouraging growth momentum in visitor arrivals


continued in 2006 with 25.25 million, an increase of 8.1%


compared with the same period in 2005. All market regions


recorded positive growth, with Europe and South and


Southeast Asia registering double-digit increases


compared with 2005. Mainland was still the largest source


market with arrivals breaking another record with more


than 13.59 million, increasing by 8.4% over a year ago.


Several major tourist attractions have been completed


including Hong Kong Disneyland, A Symphony of Lights


Phase II, Hong Kong Wetland Park and Ngong Ping 360.


Together with the worldwide promotional initiatives and


events staged by the Hong Kong Tourism Board, the


outlook of the tourism industry of Hong Kong is expected to


remain positive.



Accommodation and Length of Stay: By the end of 2006,


Hong Kong had 126 hotels, with 47 128 rooms. The


average occupancy rate for 2006 was 87 per cent, an


increase of one percentage point as compared with 2005.


Total room-nights rise too as the total stock of hotel room


supply increased by some 3 200 rooms or 7.4 per cent


during the year. The average length of stay of overnight


visitors in 2005 was 3.7 nights.



Tourism Commission: The Tourism Commission (TC)


was established in May 1999 to coordinate within


government various tourism development efforts and


to provide better policy support and leadership on the part


of government to the development of tourism in Hong


Kong.


The Commission’s task is to establish and promote


Hong Kong as Asia’s premier international city, a


world-class destination for leisure and business visitors.


To fulfill this mission systematically, the Commission


needs to ensure that tourism receives proper recognition


as one of the major sectors of the economy, with the


industry, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and the


Government working in harmony, and bringing in the


community at large.


It is essential for the trade and the Government


to work closely together. A Tourism Strategy Group,


comprising representatives from the Government, the


HKTB and various sectors of the tourism industry, has


been established to advise the Government on tourism


development from a strategic perspective.



Tourist Attractions and Facilities: The Government has


plans to develop a wide-range of diversified tourist


attractions in Hong Kong with a view to enhancing our


overall attractiveness as a premier tourist destination.


Enhancement projects are implemented to give a


facelift to the existing popular tourist areas. The completed


projects include enhancement of the Sai Kung waterfront,


minor improvements to Lei Yue Mun, enhancement of the


Central and Western District, and the Avenue of Stars


which is a joint venture with the private sector. The Tsim


Sha Tsui Beautification Project and the installation of


visitor signage in all 18 districts have been largely


completed. We target to complete the enhancement works


for Dr. Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail in early 2007. The new


transport link in Tsim Sha Tsui East, and the beautification


works for Stanley waterfront and the Peak are scheduled


for completion in 2007. Projects being planned include the


Aberdeen Tourism Project to complement the


redevelopment plan of Ocean Park, further enhancement


of the facilities along Lei Yue Mun waterfront and the


development of a piazza at Tsim Sha Tsui.


“A Symphony of Lights”, launched by the Commission


in January 2004, has been very well received by both


visitors and locals. It was awarded the world’s “Largest


Permanent Light and Sound Show” by Guinness World


Records in November 2005, accredited on the basis of the


20 buildings on Hong Kong Island jointly performing in a


fully synchronized light and sound show every night. The


Show was extended to Kowloon side covering a total of 33


buildings on both sides of the Victoria Harbour in


December 2005 and successfully achieved a new world


record.


Hong Kong Disneyland is an important part of our


tourism infrastructure. Together with other tourism


attractions in Hong Kong, it helps promote Hong Kong as


the premier destination for family tourists in the region. The


park received over five million visitors during its first year of


operation. Two other major projects, namely the Hong


Kong Wetland Park and Ngong Ping 360 were opened in


2006. Hong Kong Wetland Park is a world-class


conservation, education and tourism facility. Ngong Ping


360, comprises a 20-minute cable car ride offering a


spectacular panoramic view of the beautiful landscape of


Lantau Island, and a traditional Chinese and Buddhist


themed village, also provides a convenient access


for visitors to explore other intriguing parts of Lantau.


The heritage tourism development at the former Marine


Police Headquarters Compound is expected to be


completed by 2008. The Government is collecting views


from the public on the way forward for the preservation,


restoration and development of the Central Police Station,


Victoria Prison and the former Central Magistracy


Compound.


The Government has announced its plan for


developing new cruise terminal facilities at Kai Tak in


October 2006. The Government will offer the 7.6 hectares


of land at the southern end of the former runway at the Kai


Tak Development to the market through an open land


tender. The Government intends to award the tender in the


second quarter of 2008. The successful bidder will need to


form the site as well as design, build, and operate the


cruise terminal at its own cost. It is expected that the first


berth at the Kai Tak Development will be completed in


2012. The Government is also working with the Ocean


Park to implement its redevelopment plans which aim to


turn the Ocean Park into a world-class marine-themed


attraction. Works of the redevelopment will be delivered in


phases, new products will be introduced in each phase


with the first product being made available by early 2007


and other rides/attractions in phases by 2012/13. The


Government is considering the proposal on the


development of hotels at the Ocean Park from legal,


financial, operational and institutional aspects. The hotel


development will further enhance the attractiveness of the


Park and induce longer stay.


The promotion of tourism is not simply about


construction of new facilities. The Government has not lost


sight of the fact that Hong Kong’s traditional relics and


assets, some of which date back six thousand years, offer


visitors a fascinating insight into the region’s history. To


better explore heritage tourism, the HKTB has enhanced


its Cultural Kaleidoscope cultural experience programme


with guided tours of Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong


Kong Maritime Museum, Chinese cake-making and


Chinese medicine classes. It published “Discover Hong


Kong by Rail” to promote the attractions, including heritage


sites along the KCR East and West Rails. In addition, the


HKTB continues to work with trade operators to promote


traditional Chinese customs and festivals such as the


Tin Hau Festival parade in Yuen Long, Tam Kung Festival


in Shaukeiwan, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival and


the Birthday of Lord Buddha celebrations at Po Lin


Monastery.


The ecological richness and diversity of Hong Kong


is also quite unexpected and is another aspect which has


not hitherto been fully recognised. The Commission is


promoting green tourism in the Northeast New Territories


under the principles of nature conservation and sustainable


development. The project in the Plover Cove and Tolo


Channel area and Tung Ping Chau includes minor


enhancement of basic facilities, promotion of an


island-hopping sea tour, and complementary conservation


and educational initiatives. The HKTB has produced a


publication to promote green tourism and it features seven


hiking tours, as well as a guidebook on bird watching hot


spots in Hong Kong in collaboration with Hong Kong Bird


Watching Society. The HKTB has also revamped the green


tourism section of its website to make it more


comprehensive and user friendly. With the opening of


Hong Kong Wetland Park and development of green


tourism in Northern New Territories, the HKTB has also


launched the Nature Kaleidoscope programme in


September 2006 for a 6-month period as pilot scheme for


the participation of overseas visitors. The programme


includes guided visit to Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden


and Hong Kong Wetland Park; morning bird watching


activities at Hong Kong Park and Kowloon Park; Eco-tour


at Tai O on Lantau Island; Islands hopping tour in


Northeast New Territories and guided walk at Wong Nai


Chung Gap Trail.



Standards and Performance: Apart from making


available a wide range of attractions to enrich the


experience of tourists, it is equally important to enhance


the standard of service offered. The Travel Agents


Ordinance puts in place a licensing scheme to regulate


travel agents which carry on the business of providing


inbound and outbound travel services. Parallel with this,


to ensure the quality service provided to the visitors, the


training programme for serving tourist guides with subsidy


from the Government has provided training to about 9 100


tourist guides since its commencement in July 2002. Any


serving tourist guide who has completed the prescribed


training course and passed the required examination will


be issued with a “Tourist Guide Pass”. They are required to


observe the “Code of Conduct for Tourist Guides” issued


by the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong. With effect


from July 1, 2004, all travel agents are required to assign


only those tourist guides with a valid “Tourist Guide Pass”


to receive visitors to Hong Kong. As part of the efforts to


help members of the travel agents trade to seek


continuous improvement in the area of professional


knowledge and skills and the quality of their service, the


Government had subsidized the launching of a series of


new specialized courses commencing in mid-2006 for


members of the travel agents trade. By end November


2006, some 390 members of the travel agents trade have


enrolled in the new courses.


The HKTB continues to implement the Quality Tourism


Services (QTS) Scheme, which aims to enhance the


overall service standards among retailers and restaurants.


The Scheme was strengthened in 2006 to include visitor


accommodation in the scheme, aiming to provide visitors


with better quality assurance and a more comprehensive


and effective complaint handling mechanism. By the end of


2006, over 6 300 outlets had received QTS accreditation,


an increase of nearly 6 per cent in 12 months, reflecting


growing trade and visitor recognition of the scheme’s


value. The China National Tourism Administration has also


expressed its support for QTS.


The promotion of a community-wide hospitality culture


is essential to the sustainable development of the tourism


industry. The Tourism Commission will continue to run the


territory-wide public education campaign entitled “A


Hospitable Hong Kong” to promote a hospitality culture.


This campaign comprises a series of programmes and


activities, including the Hong Kong Young Ambassador


Scheme, general publicity scheme, service quality


seminars and campaigns. The Service Quality Study,


which was completed in 2005, aims to work out with


the tourism and related industries and relevant


government departments service standards for each


sector. It will also exemplify the best practice and service


excellence attained and help promote service quality


generally.



Accessing Hong Kong: The Government continues to


ensure Hong Kong’s accessibility. Nationals from some


170 countries can visit Hong Kong visa free for period from


seven to 180 days.


As for Mainland visitors, the quota of the Hong Kong


Tour Group Scheme of Mainland visitors has been


abolished since January 2002. The number of Mainland


travel agents authorised to organise such tours has also


increased significantly. The Individual Visit Scheme was


introduced on July 28, 2003. The Scheme has been


gradually extended and now covers Guangdong province,


Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Tianjian, Chengdu, Dalian,


Shenyang, Jinan, Nanchang, Changsha, Nanning, Haikou,


Guiyang, Kunming and nine cities in Fujian, Jiangsu and


Zhejiang. Near 17.2 million individual visitors have visited


Hong Kong as at December 2006.



Promoting Hong Kong: The HKTB is a statutory body set


up to promote Hong Kong globally as a business and


leisure destination and take initiatives to enhance the


experience of visitors when they arrive. In 2006, the HKTB


continues to place special emphasis on attracting more


visitors in the high-yield business-cum-leisure and family


segments.


Leveraging on the opening of several new attractions


from 2005 onwards, the HKTB has designated 2006


as Discover Hong Kong Year. This global marketing


campaign makes use of a series of strategic promotions


and popular Mega Events to showcase the new image of


Hong Kong and promote it as a “must-visit” destination in


2006. The HKTB has already started promotions to the


travel trade in May 2005 and rolled out the campaign in


various long-haul markets by the end of 2005 and from the


beginning of 2006 in short haul markets.


Alongside promoting Hong Kong as a preferred


tourist destination in Asia, the HKTB places emphasis


on developing joint marketing efforts with strategic


partners to promote multi-destination tourism and develop


new markets. Building on the Pan-Pearl River Delta


co-operation agreement, a series of joint overseas


marketing initiatives is being conducted with Macau and


the nine provincial tourism bureaux concerned. The


Government supports the HKTB and the tourism industry


to further these efforts.


In the years ahead, the Government will continue to


work closely with the HKTB and the trade to maintain Hong


Kong’s status as Asia’s world city.




Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com


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