Saturday, April 1, 2023
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) hosted the Hong Kong Tourism Overview 2023 on March 30 at the Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, returning physically for the first time since the city reopened.
More than 1,600 trade representatives from Hong Kong, mainland and overseas travel agencies, attractions, hotels, airlines, retailers, restaurants, meeting and exhibition operators, cruise lines, and other travel sectors attended the Tourism Overview, which discussed tourism trends and shared details of the HKTB’s latest strategic plans.
With the theme “Striding Forward in a Steady Recovery”, Dr. Pang Yiu-kai, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, said, “Hong Kong has returned to normal and is welcoming back global visitors. The tourism industry will recover progressively. The Tourism Overview today is the exact platform that gathers members of the travel trade together to explore the way to revive the city’s tourism industry. Hong Kong is not only a destination with universal appeal and an astonishing array of attractions, but also a gateway between the mainland and the rest of the world. We can work with neighboring cities to build a Greater Bay Area (GBA) tourism brand for the region and the international market. With the continued collaboration of all sectors, we can bring Hong Kong’s tourism to the next level of excellence.”
Mr. Dane Cheng, HKTB Executive Director, outlined HKTB’s four strategic goals for the future year in his business update. First, the HKTB will fuel a robust rebound across all travel-related industries, while also enhancing Hong Kong’s status as a global event destination. Furthermore, the HKTB will continue to promote Greater Bay Area (GBA) tourism and multi-destination tourism with GBA cities. The HKTB will also continue close collaboration with the trade in order to ramp up and improve assistance for them, therefore improving service quality.
Furthermore, the HKTB invited industry leaders and international corporate representatives to share insights on the themes “A Deep Dive into the Post Pandemic Mainland Travel Trends” and “Global & Regional Consumer Trends Affecting Tourism in Asia in 2023,” providing multi-perspective insights into post-pandemic trends and tourism development, as well as capturing new opportunities.
In the first session, the theme ‘A Deep Dive into the post pandemic Mainland Travel Trend’ was discussed. Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Jane Sun, Chief Executive Officer of Trip.com Group said, “Chinese mainland travelers continue to show a strong desire for outbound travel and Hong Kong is no doubt a top-ranked destination. It is important for the travel industry to adapt and innovate to meet their changing demands. We are committed to providing a variety of travel options in collaboration with our valuable partners in Hong Kong and to delivering memorable trips and experiences for travelers from the Chinese Mainland and around the world.”
The theme for second session was ‘Global & Regional Consumer Trends affecting Tourism in Asia in 2023’. Mr. Anson Bailey, Head of Consumer and Retail, ASPAC, KPMG China, shared his insights on global and regional consumer trends in the APAC region.
He said, “Hong Kong is back for tourists and business and it is expected that the APAC region will return to become the largest regional travel market by 2025. To stay ahead of the game, the travel and retail industry should be ready to innovate and capture the opportunity to meet today’s consumers especially the rising Gen Z consumers’ needs. Hong Kong is going to be the hub for tech and innovation, with ESG on the rise. Lastly, our people are always the key asset in showcasing the best of Hong Kong’s travel and tourism offerings.”
Ms. Becky Ip, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTB, detailed the HKTB’s market strategies for the Mainland, short-haul, and long-haul markets, including converting more visitors into overnight visitors, encouraging visitors to stay longer in Hong Kong, aggressively increasing Hong Kong’s international exposure, and engaging visitors with the city’s new tourism appeal, at the briefing.
HKTB personnel from several mainland and abroad offices also attended the breakout session to reconnect with the local travel trade, bringing the most recent market insights with them.
Tags: hong kong tourism
Wednesday, May 31, 2023
