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 In mid-2011, a total of 7 242 retail, restaurant and hair salon outlets, as well as 9 visitor accommodation premises covering 713 rooms had received QTS accreditation.

The promotion of a community-wide hospitality culture is essential to the sustainable development of the tourism industry. The Tourism Commission launched the Hong Kong Young Ambassador Scheme in 2001 to train young people to be polite and helpful to visitors, as well as to promote a hospitality culture in schools and the community. From time to time, the Commission also co-organises activities with the travel and related industries to encourage further improvement in the quality of service for our tourists.

Mega Events Fund: Mega events not only add colour and vibrancy to the city, but also enrich the travel experience of visitors. The Government is committed to reinforcing Hong Kong's position as the events capital of Asia. A $100 million Mega Events Fund was launched in May 2009 to assist local non-profit organisations to host large-scale arts, cultural and sports events in Hong Kong for the following three years.

Accessing Hong Kong: The Government continues to enhance Hong Kong's accessibility. Nationals from some 170 countries can visit Hong Kong visa free for periods ranging from seven to 180 days. We concluded a mutual visa-abolition agreement with Russia, which started on July 1, 2009.

As for Mainland visitors, the quota of the Hong Kong Tour Group Scheme of Mainland visitors was abolished in January 2002. The Individual Visit Scheme (IVS) allowing residents of designated Mainland cities to visit Hong Kong as independent travellers, without joining group tours, introduced in July 2003, has been gradually extended and now covers 49 Mainland cities, including all the 21 cities in Guangdong Province, Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Tianjin, Chengdu, Dalian, Shenyang, Jinan, Nanchang, Changsha, Nanning, Haikou, Guiyang, Kunming, Shijiazhuang, Zhengzhou, Changchun, Hefei, Wuhan and a total of nine cities in Fujian (Fuzhou, Xiamen, Quanzhou), Jiangsu (Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi) and Zhejiang (Hangzhou, Ningbo, Taizhou). IVS arrivals have increased from 35 per cent of all Mainland arrivals in 2004 to 64.5 per cent in the first half of 2011. As at June 2011, there were over 68.39 million visitor arrivals from the Mainland through the IVS since its implementation.

Promoting Hong Kong: The HKTB is a statutory body set up to promote Hong Kong globally as a world-class tourist destination. In addition to its head office in Hong Kong, the HKTB has 15 offices and representatives in six markets around the world.

The HKTB commissions market studies to gauge industry trends, and shares the information with its travel trade partners. Its marketing campaigns focus on 20 major source markets, which account for about 95 per cent of total visitor arrivals to Hong Kong.

In allocating its marketing resources to different markets, the HKTB adopts a flexible approach so that it can swiftly respond to unforeseen circumstances in the macro environment and minimise the risks. In addition to driving visitor arrivals from the growth markets, such as Mainland China, Taiwan and South Korea, the HKTB also strives to step up promotional efforts in the emerging markets, namely India, Russia and the Middle East, capitalising on the economic growth and increased flight capacity of these markets.

Since 2011, the HKTB has adopted "Asia's World City" as its global marketing theme. Under the theme, promotions are launched in different source markets to highlight Hong Kong's international and cosmopolitan setting, its unique cultural fusion, vibrant lifestyle and a variety of attractions, as well as its trend-setting image.

In Hong Kong, the HKTB has further enhanced its year-round programme of mega events to attract visitors and give them the best possible experience during their stay. Altogether there are 10 major campaigns throughout the year, including the "Hong Kong Summer Spectacular" that featured the "Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival" in June, the "Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival" in September and "Hong Kong WinterFest" in December. These events are promoted along with traditional festivals and cultural celebrations, as well as major events launched by third parties, with the objectives of enriching visitors' experience and reinforcing Hong Kong's image as the Events Capital of Asia. Working closely with its trade partners, the HKTB will also create new tourism products, events and offers to cater for the needs and interests of different visitor segments.

To promote Hong Kong's tourism attractions to visitors worldwide, the HKTB has adopted an integrated approach that combines the Internet, consumer promotions and public relations activities. The www.discoverhongkong.com consumer website is available in 14 languages and 20 versions, and records more than 4.5 million visits per month. In order to expand the reach of its promotions, the HKTB has stepped up its digital marketing efforts. In May 2011, the HKTB launched the DiscoverHongKong Mobile App Series – one of the first smart phone travel application series in the world that makes use of the augmented reality technology.

The HKTB works very closely with its partners from the travel trade. In the first six months of 2011, it organised 36 familiarisation trips to Hong Kong, in which 422 travel trade representatives took part. It also works closely with cities in the Pearl River Delta and other regional destinations to promote multi-destination itineraries that include Hong Kong. Through collaboration with the Macau Government Tourist Office, Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality, Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau and Jiangmen Tourism Bureau, a series of roadshows were staged in Southeast Asia, Europe and North America to promote multi-destination travel packages featuring Hong Kong, Guangdong Province and Macau.