HONG KONG TOURIST DESTINATIONS

A Quality Tourist Destination
HONG KONG
Overview
With its unique blend of East and West, old and new, city and scenery, Hong Kong has become one of Asia’s most popular tourist destinations. From high-end shopping malls to bustling markets, ancient Chinese temples to glass-curtained skyscrapers, neon-lit streets to pristine countryside, Hong Kong is a city of contrasts and colour.
Hong Kong is continually upgrading its tourism product, whether for leisure, business or family tourists. In 2007, visitor arrivals reached a record high of more than 28 million, an increase of 11.6 per cent over 2006. Arrivals from all long-and short-haul market regions showed positive gain in 2007. Visitor spending exceeded HK$140 billion (US$18 billion) in 2007, an increase of 16.4 per cent year-on-year. Visitor arrivals for 2008 reached 26.7 million by the end of November, an increase of 5.3 per cent over the equivalent period in 2007, despite the global economic crisis.

New Developments
To further promote tourism, the Government announced the following in the 2008/2009 Budget speech:
• New cruise terminal confirmed – to be built at the old Kai Tak airport site. First berth expected to be operational in 2013.
• New legislation introduced to waive hotel accommodation tax, as from July 1, 2008.
• Step up efforts to attract more international conventions and exhibitions; an additional HK$150 million (US$19.3 million) has been earmarked for promotion and marketing initiatives over the next five years.
• 10 new sites set aside for hotel use.
• Wine and alcoholic beverages (except spirits) became exempt from tax on February 27, 2008. Apart from being a bonus for wine-loving tourists, this incentive is expected to make Hong Kong the wine-trading hub of Asia.

The Government has also announced plans to develop five major tourism clusters to broaden the range of tourist facilities in Hong Kong. These will be developed in the medium to long term:
• Sunny Bay on Lantau Island is being considered for development into a new tourism node. Together with Hong Kong Disneyland, Ngong Ping 360 and other expanded facilities, this will make Lantau Island a truly spectacular tourism area.
• Sai Kung harbour will be sensitively developed to provide a range of active recreational facilities such as hiking and water sports together with world-class resorts.
• A major cultural hub will be developed in West Kowloon, providing a huge boost to the arts and entertainment sector. The site will cover about 40 hectares and the project cost around HK$21.6 billion (US$2.8 billion).
• A heritage, entertainment and dining area will be developed in the heart of Central, radiating from the site of the former Central Police Station and covering attractions like Government House, St John’s Cathedral, Hollywood Road, Soho and Lan Kwai Fong.
• Ocean Park is implementing redevelopment plans to turn the park into a world-class, marine-themed family attraction.

Asia’s MICE Hub
Hong Kong is already a leading regional host for meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), and the Government seeks to further upgrade MICE facilities. Over 300 major MICE events take place each year at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC), AsiaWorld-Expo and other venues. Overlooking Victoria Harbour, HKCEC offers 75 000 square metres of rentable space, soon expanding to nearly 90 000 when its atrium extension is completed in 2009. AsiaWorld Expo, conveniently located next to Hong Kong International Airport offers 70 000 square metres of rentable space and a multi-purpose hall with seating for 13 500.

Notable Attractions
The Government has invested HK$31 billion (US$4 billion) over the past few years on new attractions to attract more tourists and sustain the long-term development of the tourism industry:
• Hong Kong Disneyland, which opened in 2005 on Lantau Island, is the third Disney theme park outside the US, and the first in China.
• Also on Lantau Island, Ngong Ping 360 opened in September 2006. It offers a 25-minute cable-car ride from Tung Chung, near the airport, to religious and cultural-themed attractions including Ngong Ping Village, the Giant Buddha, Po Lin Monastery and Wisdom Path.
• Hong Kong Wetland Park opened in 2006 to showcase Hong Kong’s ecological richness and biodiversity – a world-class conservation, education and tourism facility.
• A Symphony of Lights, recognised as the world's "Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show" by Guinness World Records, and the Avenue of Stars, both launched in 2004, have been well received by visitors, locals and the tourism industry. Since its launch, A Symphony of Lights has expanded to include 44 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour, with pyrotechnic displays on special occasions.

Improving Service Quality
To promote quality service in the retail and catering sectors, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) launched the Quality Tourism Service (QTS) scheme in 1999, and more than 6 600 shops and restaurants now haveQTS accreditation. Legislation has been enacted to regulate inbound travel agents, and the travel industry has introduced training programmes for tour guides.

Facilitating Mainland Visitors
With policy support from Central Government, much progress has been made in encouraging people from the Mainland to visit Hong Kong. Most importantly, the Individual Visit Scheme, implemented in 2003 and subsequently expanded, allows Mainland residents from 49 Mainland cities to visit Hong Kong without having to join group tours. Visitor arrivals from the Mainland reached nearly 15.5 million in 2007, up 13.9 per cent on 2006 and accounting for 55 per cent of total visitor arrivals. In December 2008 the Central Government announced that the Individual Visit Scheme is to be further expanded.

Ecotourism
Perhaps no other city offers such a spectacular range of scenery within such easy reach of the city centre. The HKTB recognises the increasing popularity of ecotourism, and in order to help visitors experience Hong Kong’s natural wonders and living culture, has been working closely with the travel trade and environmental organisations to develop a range of
ecotourism options. The Nature Kaleidoscope programme was officially launched in April 2007, offering an array of eco-oriented guided tours to places like the Mai Po wetlands and Tai O, famous for its stilt houses. Other tours take visitors to the historic Hakka village of Lai Chi Wo, and to Long Valley, where a railway development was tunnelled under the wetland at great cost in a successful bid to conserve the ecosystem and its diverse bird population.

Heritage Conservation
Hong Kong's heritage is a draw for tourists, and increasingly the Government is looking to the revitalisation and conservation of older neighbourhoods and historic buildings. Accordingly, the Commissioner for Heritage’s Office was established in 2008 to oversee the implementation of new initiatives for heritage conservation, as well as to strengthen publicity and community participation. There are currently 85 declared monuments, of which 67 are historic buildings (e.g. Government House, St John’s Cathedral) and the other
18 include ancient forts, rock carvings and archaeological sites.
Notable heritage achievements include the restoration of Kom Tong Hall, which now houses the Dr Sun Yat-sen Museum, and Flagstaff House, the oldest surviving colonial building in Hong Kong, which after restoration has become the Museum of Tea Ware. Another success has been the transformation of an old block, which used to house the Woo Cheong Pawn Shop, in Wan Chai, into an upscale restaurant and pub with its historic features intact. Major new projects include a proposed innovative restoration of the old Central Police Station Compound, and revitalisation of Wan Chai’s open-air bazaar and the Graham Street Market area in Central.
A sum of $1 billion (US$129 million) has been earmarked for the implementation of the Revitalisation of Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme, Phase 1 of which is set to transform seven historic buildings into cultural landmarks, preserving the buildings’ integrity while at the same time enhancing their utility.
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