Stepping into a brighter tourism future

Throughout the pandemic, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) closely monitored the evolving situation and flexibly adjusted our strategies. When the fifth wave of the outbreak eased in the second quarter of 2022, we focused on generating a positive ambience in the city and stimulating consumption to create business opportunities for the tourism and related sectors. At the same time, we gradually brought back iconic mega events to consolidate Hong Kong’s status as Asia’s Events Capital and maintain the city’s visibility in the world while taking public health to account.

For promotions, HKTB continuously used various platforms and social media to showcase the exciting new attractions and experiences Hong Kong has to offer. As pandemic-related inbound travel restrictions were gradually lifted from the fourth quarter of 2022, we sent out invitations to trade representatives, celebrities, online influencers, and media representatives from around the world to visit and see for themselves how Hong Kong was ready to welcome back visitors.

Welcoming back the world and showcasing Hong Kong’s resumption of normality

As the doors to tourism fully reopened at the beginning of 2023, the “Hello Hong Kong” global promotion was launched following months of meticulous planning. With the Hong Kong SAR Government taking the lead, the whole city answered the call to send friendly greetings to all corners of the world and welcome visitors from near and far to rediscover Hong Kong’s timeless appeal. The HKTB not only rolled out the red carpet and warmly welcomed our visitors, but also actively reached out to the world to promote the appeal of Hong Kong to tourists and visitors. We also believe that “seeing is believing”, and hence invited people from every continent to visit Hong Kong and experience our many new attractions and experiences for themselves. This resulted in positive word-of-mouth and social media publicity and sent a compelling message to the world that Hong Kong is back and better than ever.

Keeping pace with change

Every step of Hong Kong’s tourism rebound was carefully planned and prepared by the HKTB and our travel trade partners. I am supremely confident that by highlighting the city’s core strengths and adjusting our strategies to respond to the changes in consumer habits and travel patterns, Hong Kong’s tourism appeal and competitiveness will shine more brightly than ever.

Embracing in-depth cultural tourism

Hong Kong’s arts and culture scene boasts a solid foundation from its rich east-meets-west heritage, fortified by the addition of world-class museums and exhibitions in the West Kowloon Cultural District, which greatly help make Hong Kong attractive to visitors as a cultural tourism destination. Our long-standing promotion of the city as a leading culture and heritage destination is being implemented through our Hong Kong Neighbourhoods platform, in line with the advocacy by the Central Government and Hong Kong Government of culture-tourism integration and enhancement and the city’s development into an East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange.

The HKTB conducted surveys as visitors returned. We found that – in addition to our world-famous dining and shopping experiences – our arts and culture, and rich countryside and coastline which are easily accessible from the bustling city are big draws, particularly among younger travellers. This is a testament to the hard work of the HKTB and the travel trade in promoting a previously underappreciated aspect of Hong Kong, and we are committed to continuing to leverage our “soft power” in arts and culture to step up our publicity efforts to visitors from target markets through online platforms and social media.

Capitalising on the city’s unique core strength

Another pillar of Hong Kong’s tourism success is its unique advantage of enjoying strong support from the Motherland while being closely connected to both the Mainland and overseas destinations, including the cities in the Greater Bay Area. As visitors seek more diverse experiences after the pandemic, this is the ideal time for Hong Kong to consolidate resources with partner destinations in the Area, build a powerful Greater Bay Area tourism brand for regional and international markets, and promote multi-destination itineraries among visitor source markets.

Making every visit memorable

As the global tourism market continues to evolve, HKTB will continue to be highly flexible. We will closely monitor global tourism developments and trends and work closely with stakeholders, and the Government, the travel industry and related sectors, to devise promotional strategies and plans, respond swiftly to changes in the market, stay fiercely competitive, and support sustainable tourism development. We will work with our friends and partners in all sectors to strive for excellence and be the best hosts imaginable, offering every visitor an unforgettable stay, so that positive and happy impressions of Hong Kong lives long in their hearts and minds.