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 visitors, as well as to promote a hospitality culture in schools and the community. The Commission also maintains liaison and co-operation with the travel and related industries, and tourism authorities in the Mainland to encourage exchange among frontline practitioners with a view to further improving service quality.

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 organizations to host large-scale events in Hong Kong for the following three years. In April 2012, a sum of $150 million was approved to extend the operation of the Fund and modify the scheme into a two-tier system. The new system will provide financial incentive to attract new or established high profile mega events to Hong Kong, whilst at the same time continue to encourage the hosting of potential mega arts, cultural, sports and entertainment events in Hong Kong by local non-profit-making organizations.

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.

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 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 66.6 per cent in the first eight months of 2014. As at August 2014, there were over 149.78 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 22 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 key markets, such as Taiwan and South Korea, the HKTB also strives to step up promotional efforts in the new markets, including India, Russia and the countries in the Gulf Co-operation Council, capitalising on the economic growth and increased flight capacity of these markets.

Since 2011, the HKTB has adopted "Asia’s World City" as the tourism brand of Hong Kong, and launched promotions in different source markets to highlight Hong Kong’s international and cosmopolitan setting, unique cultural fusion, vibrant lifestyle, trendsetting image and signature attractions.

In Hong Kong, the HKTB has further enhanced its year-round programme of mega events to offer visitors the best possible experience during their stay. Major campaigns include "Hong Kong Summer Fun" that featured the "Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival" in June, the "Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival" in November, and the "Hong Kong WinterFest" in December. From October 2014 to March 2015 during the periods of HKTB’s mega events such as the Wine and Dine Festival, the WinterFest and the Chinese New Year Celebrations, the HKTB will stage the "Hong Kong Pulse" 3D Light Show to showcase the magnificent night view of the Victoria Harbour. These events are promoted along with traditional festivals and cultural celebrations, as well as major events launched by other organisations, 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 develop 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 digital marketing, consumer promotions and public relations activities. The HKTB’s consumer website www.discoverhongkong.com now available in 15 languages and 22 versions, recorded 69.8 million visits in 2013. In order to expand the reach of its promotions, the HKTB has stepped up its digital marketing efforts. Besides improving site usability to enhance browsing experience, the content were enriched to better showcase Hong Kong’s core tourism strengths and happenings as the "Asia’a World City". The site also includes new built-in features to facilitate pre-trip planning, such as the 'My Hong Kong Guide' and 'Nearby Points of Interest' functionalities. On top of the website, the HKTB has been leveraging social media and mobile platforms to promote Hong Kong, including 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 series include four apps, namely 'DiscoverHongKong*AR','DiscoverHongKong*CityWalks','DiscoverHongKong*Heritage Walks' and ‘DiscoverHongKong*Island Walks’. In 2014, the HKTB launched a new leaflet covering travel tips on public transportation, WiFi hotspots and public hygiene to help in-town tourists navigate the city and have a pleasurable stay.

The HKTB works very closely with its partners from the travel and related sectors. In 2013, it organised 36 familiarisation trips to Hong Kong, in which 651 travel trade representatives took part. It also works closely with different tourism administrations in the Mainland, such as the Guangdong Provincial Tourism Administration (GDPTA), Shenzhen Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sport and Tourism and Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), to promote multi-destination itineraries that include Hong Kong, Guangdong Province and Macau through organising a series of roadshows and participation in major international travel trade shows. To introduce travel specialties of the Pearl River Delta to US consumers, the HKTB also collaborated with the GDPTA and MGTO on the production of a travelogue which was broadcast in February 2012.