Page:HKFactSheet Tourism 102014.pdf/2

 Opened in September 2006, Ngong Ping 360 comprises a 5.7 km cableway ride lasting about 25 minutes, and a Buddhist themed village. The crystal cabin cable car ride launched in 2009 offers a spectacular panoramic view of the beautiful landscape of Lantau Island. Having visited the Buddhist themed village, visitors can proceed to visit the new Pai Lau, Bodhi Path, Di Tan and the Chinese landscaped garden in the 1.5-hectare Ngong Ping Piazza which was opened in August 2010, as well as the tourist attractions nearby, such as the Po Lin Monastery, Giant Buddha, and Wisdom Path. In addition, visitors can explore other intriguing parts of Lantau, including Tai O fish village and beautiful beaches on Southern Lantau.

The Government is committed to developing Hong Kong into a leading regional cruise hub. Located at the former Kai Tak runway, the first berth of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, which can accommodate the largest cruise ships in the world, came into operation in June 2013. The second berth started to receive cruise liners in September 2014. The HKTB will also continue to strengthen its promotion efforts and drive consumer demand for cruise tourism.

In addition, enhancement projects are implemented to give a facelift to the existing popular tourist areas. Completed projects include enhancement of the Sai Kung waterfront, minor improvements to Lei Yue Mun, enhancement of the Central and Western District including Dr Sun Yat-sen Historical Trail, Visitor Signage Improvement Scheme, the Stanley Waterfront Improvement Project, the Peak Improvement Scheme, the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade Beautification Project, the Transport Link in Tsim Sha Tsui East, beautification of two footbridges in Tsim Sha Tsui East and the Avenue of Stars, which is a joint venture with the private sector. The Aberdeen Tourism Project includes improvement works for the promenades on both sides of the Aberdeen Harbour as well as Ap Lei Chau Main Street and adjacent streets, with the theme of a traditional fishermen’s village. The improvement works at the Aberdeen promenade and Ap Lei Chau promenade has been completed while that at the Ap Lei Chau Main Street is in progress and expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2015. A project to further improve the facilities along Lei Yue Mun waterfront is also under planning.

"A Symphony of Lights", a nightly show on both sides of the Victoria Harbour launched by the Commission in early 2004, is very well received by both visitors and locals. It was awarded the world’s "Largest Permanent Light and Sound Show" by Guinness World Records. At present, there are 47 participating buildings.

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 insight into the region’s history. One fine example is the preservation and development of the former Marine Police Headquarters in Tsim Sha Tsui into a tourism facility by the private sector, which is recently opened to the public as "1881 Heritage". In promoting cultural tourism, the HKTB has published the "Hong Kong Walks" guide, which features eight itineraries to help visitors explore Hong Kong’s fascinating culture, culinary delights and unique heritage, such as the walled village in Fanling and the open-air markets in Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok. In addition, the HKTB continues to work with the trade to promote traditional Chinese customs and festivals, such as the Tin Hau Festival parade in Yuen Long and Cha Kwo Ling, Tam Kung Festival in Shaukeiwan, the Cheung Chau Bun Festival and the Birthday of Lord Buddha celebrations at Po Lin Monastery. These four traditional festivals were again bundled under the "Hong Kong Cultural Celebrations" promotion in May to encourage visitors to take part in the festive celebrations in different districts.

Leveraging Hong Kong’s ecological richness and diversity, the Commission has been promoting green tourism in Northeast New Territories and outlying islands, having regard to the principles of nature conservation and sustainable development. The HKTB has launched the "Great Outdoors Hong Kong" marketing platform since 2009 to promote the Hong Kong Global Geopark of China, the natural scenery of various outlying islands, popular hiking trails and other green attractions. The HKTB also actively promotes cultural and arts events in Hong Kong, including the Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Art Basel Hong Kong, and large-scale arts exhibitions in various local museums. To introduce to visitors Hong Kong's arts and cultural attractions and happenings in different districts, the HKTB maintains a dedicated "Arts and Performance" section in its official website. Moreover, the Commission, in collaboration with the HKTB, has joined hands with performing arts groups and the tourism sector to enrich visitors’ travel experience with different arts and cultural programmes.

Standards and Performance: Apart from making available a wide range of attractions to enrich visitors' experience, it is equally important to enhance the standard of service offered. The Travel Agents Ordinance puts in place a licensing regime to regulate travel agents who provide inbound and outbound travel services. To ensure the quality of service to visitors, tourist guides are required to complete prescribed training and pass an examination. They have to observe the "Code of Conduct for Tourist Guides" issued by the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC). By end of September 2014, Hong Kong have about 6 800 accredited tourist guides. As part of the efforts to help members of the travel agents trade to continuously upgrade their professional knowledge and quality of service, since mid-2006, the Government has subsidised a series of new specialised courses for them. By the end of July 2014, some 5 580 members of the travel agents trade have enrolled in the new courses. To further encourage tourist guides to continuously better equip themselves to meet new market challenges, in July 2007, the TIC introduced a Continuous Professional Development Programme (CPD Programme) for tourist guides. Tourist guides are required to fulfil the training requirements of the CPD Programme for renewal of Tourist Guide Pass. This aims to ensure the continuous enhancement of the quality of tourist guide service.

To promote the healthy and sustainable development of the tourism industry, the Government conducted a review of the operation and regulatory framework of the tourism sector in 2011 and decided to set up an independent statutory body, named the Travel Industry Authority (TIA), to take up the overall regulation of travel agents, tourist guides and tour escorts. The Tourism Commission is setting in hand the drafting of the new legislation and other relevant work for the establishment of the TIA.

The HKTB continues to run the Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme, which aims to encourage retailers, restaurants and visitor accommodations to elevate their service standards, thereby giving visitors quality assurance. As at September 2014, a total of 8 290 retail and restaurant outlets, as well as 11 visitor accommodation premises covering 775 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 instill in young people a sense of courtesy and helpfulness to