Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan, began his visit to the United States on May 28 (San Francisco time) and delivered a keynote speech at a business luncheon. He also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Invest Hong Kong (Invest HK) and partners in the San Francisco Bay Area.
      
     Mr Chan attended a business luncheon co-organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco and the Bay Area Council, a business organisation in San Francisco, where he introduced the latest economic situation and development directions of Hong Kong to the local business and innovation sectors. He emphasised the developmental advantages of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), highlighting Hong Kong’s role as an international financial centre and an international innovation and technology hub, as well as its “super connector” role in the GBA, which enable it to create business opportunities for companies from Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. He noted that both bay areas have exceptional innovation capabilities, and Hong Kong boasts a broad and deep financing platform, comprehensive financial services, a thriving venture capital ecosystem, concentration of top international research talent, and convergence of Mainland and international data. These qualities are highly attractive to innovative enterprises seeking to open up markets in the GBA and other parts of Mainland China and Asia.
      
     Mr Chan also pointed out in his speech that Hong Kong, under the “one country, two systems” principle, continues to practise the common law system, and allow the free flow of capital, talent, information, and goods. Hong Kong maintains its low tax regime and linked exchange rate system. The law and order situation in Hong Kong is robust. Its business standards are highly aligned with international benchmarks. All these factors present clear advantages.
      
     During the luncheon’s panel discussion, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority Mr Kenneth Hui; Co-Head of Markets at the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited Ms Glenda So; and the Chief Public Mission Officer of the Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, Mr Eric Chan, promoted the developments of Hong Kong’s financial markets, arrangements facilitating the listing of start-ups, initiatives to boost innovation and technology developments, and support for start-ups.
      
     In the presence of Mr Chan and Bay Area Council China Initiative Committee Co-Chair Mr Kevin Xu, Invest HK and the Bay Area Council signed an MOU to jointly promote investment promotion exchanges between Hong Kong and the San Francisco Bay Area, with a focus on green economy and sustainable development co-operation.
      
     The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Algernon Yau, and the Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Mr Joseph Chan, also attended the luncheon.
      
     In the morning, accompanied by the Chief Financial Officer of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, Mr Aldous Mak, and the Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Alpha Lau, Mr Chan visited five start-ups from the Hong Kong Science Park. These five companies are currently in Silicon Valley for exchanges and training as well as market expansion, and are engaged in businesses such as biodegradable materials, new building materials, online marketing, smart robotics and AI inspection. Mr Chan listened to their presentations on their business, technology, market expansion, and their experiences in the training programme, and exchanged views with their executives.
      
     Mr Chan also met with Mr Rahim Amidi, one of the founders of a Silicon Valley start-up accelerator, Plug and Play. The Hong Kong Science Park has started collaborating with Plug and Play, and the five start-ups mentioned above are being trained with the support of this accelerator in Silicon Valley. Plug and Play is also planning to establish a branch in Hong Kong. Mr Chan encouraged them to collaborate more with local start-ups and innovation and technology institutions in Hong Kong to add vitality to the local innovation and technology ecosystem.
      
     In the afternoon, Mr Chan visited an alternative asset management company, TPG, and met with its Founder and Executive Chairman, Mr Jim Coulter, to understand their development plans in Hong Kong.
      
     After arriving in San Francisco on May 27 (San Francisco time), Mr Chan met with the Consul General of China in San Francisco, Mr Zhang Jianmin. They exchanged views on the co-operation between the GBA and the San Francisco Bay Area, China-US relations, and the latest developments in Hong Kong.
      
     On May 29 (San Francisco time), Mr Chan will lead a delegation from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (SAR) to participate in the Bay to Bay Dialogue between the California Bay Area and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the US-China High-Level Event on Subnational Climate Action, together with delegations from the Guangdong Province and the Macao SAR.

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     â€‹Following is a question by the Hon Yim Kong and a reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):
 
Question:
 
     In recent days, the Central Authorities have progressively introduced a number of new immigration policy measures which facilitate Mainland residents’ travel to and from Hong Kong, including further expanding the Individual Visit Scheme to cover 59 cities and expanding the application of the “exit endorsement for talents travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao” from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to Beijing and Shanghai. There are views that such policy measures will have positive effects on the recovery of Hong Kong’s economy by bringing more Mainland residents to Hong Kong for spending. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has assessed the current supply and demand situation of retail goods in Hong Kong that are more popular among Mainland visitors (such as pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and jewellery);
 
(2) as the Government has indicated in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the 8th of this month that it will continue to maintain close communication with the relevant Mainland authorities and strive for policy initiatives that are conducive to Hong Kong’s tourism development, including raising the tax free threshold for shopping for Mainland visitors visiting Hong Kong, whether the Government has reached a certain consensus with the relevant Mainland authorities on raising the tax free threshold; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) whether it will consider planning for the establishment of a themed commercial complex to provide a retail spot specialised in goods that are popular among Mainland visitors at a boundary control point in the Northern Metropolis, so as to attract more Mainland visitors to come to Hong Kong for shopping and spending and facilitate their purchase of the goods they need in Hong Kong with the least time spent, thereby boosting Hong Kong’s retail industry?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) is sincerely grateful to the Central Government’s announcement on May 11 for responding to the HKSARG’s proposal on enhancing the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), which allows residents of eight additional cities to explore Hong Kong’s unique appeals as a tourism destination more flexibly and conveniently. The IVS now covers 59 cities, including all provincial capitals which will boost the local tourism and other related industries. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is stepping up promotion work in the newly added cities and inviting representatives from the trade of relevant cities to come to Hong Kong to participate in promotional activities, thereby integrating the power of the trade to explore the relevant source markets.
     
     At the same time, the HKSARG will join hands with the trade to implement the concept of “tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong”, enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s tourism industry, fully explore Hong Kong’s rich tourism resources, and draw on successful experiences from various places to enable innovative thinking and optimise policies. The HKSARG announced the calendar of mega events in Hong Kong for the second half of 2024 last week expecting that at least about 210 mega events will be held throughout this year. It is hoped that through sharing the event information with the trades, operators in different industries can make advance arrangement to prepare, plan and launch promotion, thereby fully seizing the business opportunities brought by mega events to create more diverse, rich and unique tourism experiences for tourists. The HKSARG will also actively facilitate the industry to continuously improve service quality and encourage the public to work together to show hospitality to make tourists feel at home, with a view to reinforcing and strengthening Hong Kong’s position as the best tourism destination.

     In respect of the question raised by the Hon Yim Kong, in consultation with the Census and Statistics Department and the Development Bureau, the reply is as follows:
 
(1) According to the Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies conducted by the Census and Statistics Department, comparing December 2023 with December 2022, the number of establishments in the retail industry of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts is about 3 600, increased slightly by 3 per cent while that of the medicines and cosmetics of the same period remained stable at approximately over 4 000.
 
     On the demand side, according to information provided by the Census and Statistics Department and the HKTB, the total value of retail sales in Hong Kong in 2023 was $406.6 billion while the total spending on goods in Hong Kong by visitors was $71.3billion, representing around 18 per cent of the total value of retail sales in Hong Kong.

     In addition, according to the latest result of the HKTB’s departing visitor survey, factors attracting Mainland tourists to visit Hong Kong have changed and the proportion of tourists whose main purpose of visiting Hong Kong is shopping has gradually decreased. Having said that, some tourists considered that Hong Kong still enjoys price advantages in terms of buying luxury goods. Besides, the fashionable style, good quality and authenticity guarantee makes goods in Hong Kong popular among Mainland tourists.
 
(2) Currently, according to relevant Mainland customs laws, the duty-free allowance for imported items for personal use by Mainland visitors (including visitors to Hong Kong) is RMB 5,000 per travel. Increasing duty-free allowance for Mainland visitors will not only enrich and enhance their experience in visiting Hong Kong and provide them with incentive to shop, but will also boost local consumption and help attract more high spending overnight visitors to come to Hong Kong. The Government will continue to maintain close communication with the relevant Mainland Authorities for policies and measures that are conducive to Hong Kong’s tourism development, including increasing the duty-free allowance for Mainland visitors, thereby enhancing their consumption intention and further stimulating the retail market.
 
(3) In planning the Northern Metropolis, the Government will take into account the industry potential in different areas and the opportunities for industry collaboration with the Mainland in reserving land for industry development as appropriate. For instance, by leveraging the three land boundary control points (BCPs) in the Boundary Commerce and Industry Zone where Lo Wu, Man Kam To and Heung Yuen Wai are located, there is potential to develop leisure consumption related commerce near the BCPs to meet the needs for cross-boundary services and livelihood consumption. We will reserve commercial land capable of accommodating retail and leisure consumption industries near the BCPs, the details of which will be announced when the land use proposal of the New Territories North New Town is released in the second half of this year. Besides, Hung Shui Kiu/ Ha Tsuen New Development Area will enjoy the convenience brought by the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu to Qianhai section) in future, connecting to Qianhai area in Shenzhen. We will provide commercial land around the town centre railway station from 2026 onwards, contributing about one million square metres of commercial floor space in total, which may also accommodate retail and leisure consumption industries. Thank you President. read more

     â€‹Following is a question by the Hon Yim Kong and a reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):
 
Question:
 
     In recent days, the Central Authorities have progressively introduced a number of new immigration policy measures which facilitate Mainland residents’ travel to and from Hong Kong, including further expanding the Individual Visit Scheme to cover 59 cities and expanding the application of the “exit endorsement for talents travelling to and from Hong Kong and Macao” from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to Beijing and Shanghai. There are views that such policy measures will have positive effects on the recovery of Hong Kong’s economy by bringing more Mainland residents to Hong Kong for spending. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it has assessed the current supply and demand situation of retail goods in Hong Kong that are more popular among Mainland visitors (such as pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and jewellery);
 
(2) as the Government has indicated in its reply to a question raised by a Member of this Council on the 8th of this month that it will continue to maintain close communication with the relevant Mainland authorities and strive for policy initiatives that are conducive to Hong Kong’s tourism development, including raising the tax free threshold for shopping for Mainland visitors visiting Hong Kong, whether the Government has reached a certain consensus with the relevant Mainland authorities on raising the tax free threshold; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
 
(3) whether it will consider planning for the establishment of a themed commercial complex to provide a retail spot specialised in goods that are popular among Mainland visitors at a boundary control point in the Northern Metropolis, so as to attract more Mainland visitors to come to Hong Kong for shopping and spending and facilitate their purchase of the goods they need in Hong Kong with the least time spent, thereby boosting Hong Kong’s retail industry?
 
Reply:
 
President,
 
     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (HKSARG) is sincerely grateful to the Central Government’s announcement on May 11 for responding to the HKSARG’s proposal on enhancing the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), which allows residents of eight additional cities to explore Hong Kong’s unique appeals as a tourism destination more flexibly and conveniently. The IVS now covers 59 cities, including all provincial capitals which will boost the local tourism and other related industries. The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is stepping up promotion work in the newly added cities and inviting representatives from the trade of relevant cities to come to Hong Kong to participate in promotional activities, thereby integrating the power of the trade to explore the relevant source markets.
     
     At the same time, the HKSARG will join hands with the trade to implement the concept of “tourism is everywhere in Hong Kong”, enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong’s tourism industry, fully explore Hong Kong’s rich tourism resources, and draw on successful experiences from various places to enable innovative thinking and optimise policies. The HKSARG announced the calendar of mega events in Hong Kong for the second half of 2024 last week expecting that at least about 210 mega events will be held throughout this year. It is hoped that through sharing the event information with the trades, operators in different industries can make advance arrangement to prepare, plan and launch promotion, thereby fully seizing the business opportunities brought by mega events to create more diverse, rich and unique tourism experiences for tourists. The HKSARG will also actively facilitate the industry to continuously improve service quality and encourage the public to work together to show hospitality to make tourists feel at home, with a view to reinforcing and strengthening Hong Kong’s position as the best tourism destination.

     In respect of the question raised by the Hon Yim Kong, in consultation with the Census and Statistics Department and the Development Bureau, the reply is as follows:
 
(1) According to the Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies conducted by the Census and Statistics Department, comparing December 2023 with December 2022, the number of establishments in the retail industry of jewellery, watches and clocks, and valuable gifts is about 3 600, increased slightly by 3 per cent while that of the medicines and cosmetics of the same period remained stable at approximately over 4 000.
 
     On the demand side, according to information provided by the Census and Statistics Department and the HKTB, the total value of retail sales in Hong Kong in 2023 was $406.6 billion while the total spending on goods in Hong Kong by visitors was $71.3billion, representing around 18 per cent of the total value of retail sales in Hong Kong.

     In addition, according to the latest result of the HKTB’s departing visitor survey, factors attracting Mainland tourists to visit Hong Kong have changed and the proportion of tourists whose main purpose of visiting Hong Kong is shopping has gradually decreased. Having said that, some tourists considered that Hong Kong still enjoys price advantages in terms of buying luxury goods. Besides, the fashionable style, good quality and authenticity guarantee makes goods in Hong Kong popular among Mainland tourists.
 
(2) Currently, according to relevant Mainland customs laws, the duty-free allowance for imported items for personal use by Mainland visitors (including visitors to Hong Kong) is RMB 5,000 per travel. Increasing duty-free allowance for Mainland visitors will not only enrich and enhance their experience in visiting Hong Kong and provide them with incentive to shop, but will also boost local consumption and help attract more high spending overnight visitors to come to Hong Kong. The Government will continue to maintain close communication with the relevant Mainland Authorities for policies and measures that are conducive to Hong Kong’s tourism development, including increasing the duty-free allowance for Mainland visitors, thereby enhancing their consumption intention and further stimulating the retail market.
 
(3) In planning the Northern Metropolis, the Government will take into account the industry potential in different areas and the opportunities for industry collaboration with the Mainland in reserving land for industry development as appropriate. For instance, by leveraging the three land boundary control points (BCPs) in the Boundary Commerce and Industry Zone where Lo Wu, Man Kam To and Heung Yuen Wai are located, there is potential to develop leisure consumption related commerce near the BCPs to meet the needs for cross-boundary services and livelihood consumption. We will reserve commercial land capable of accommodating retail and leisure consumption industries near the BCPs, the details of which will be announced when the land use proposal of the New Territories North New Town is released in the second half of this year. Besides, Hung Shui Kiu/ Ha Tsuen New Development Area will enjoy the convenience brought by the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western Rail Link (Hung Shui Kiu to Qianhai section) in future, connecting to Qianhai area in Shenzhen. We will provide commercial land around the town centre railway station from 2026 onwards, contributing about one million square metres of commercial floor space in total, which may also accommodate retail and leisure consumption industries. Thank you President. read more

     Following is a question by Dr the Hon Chow Man-kong and a written reply by the Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):   Question:        It has been reported that… read more

     Following is a question by the Hon Nixie Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Mr Kevin Yeung, in the Legislative Council today (May 29):
 
Question:
 
     It is reported that the State President made important remarks in an instruction on the 17th of this month on the work related to the tourism sector: “All regions and departments must effectively strengthen the sense of responsibility and mission in their work, do their share of work well and coordinate joint efforts to promote the high-quality development of the tourism industry with concrete actions and ensure its steady and sustainable growth.” There are views that Hong Kong should promote the diverse development of the tourism industry (including tapping new areas of consumption growth) and proactively attract the high-end consumer group to visit Hong Kong, so as to achieve the high-quality development of its tourism industry. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
 
(1) whether it knows if there are sufficient service providers for custom-‍designed tours in the market to offer personalized luxury travel experiences and plan tailor-made itineraries (e.g. guided shopping for famous-brand fashion and accessories, luxury sports events, rides on luxury yachts and helicopters, as well as high-end art experiences/auctions) for the high-end consumer group;
 
(2) as there are views that family-friendly tourism and pet-friendly tourism have great appeal to the high-end consumer group, whether the Government has plans to formulate targeted measures for such consumer group, such as putting in place special quarantine-free entry arrangements for their pets (e.g. introducing the “Guangdong-‍Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Pet Passport” by modelling on the European Union’s practice of pet passports) and providing more babycare facilities at famous tourist attractions, so as to further enhance this consumer group’s desire for and satisfaction from visiting and spending in Hong Kong, thereby achieving the high-quality integrated development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry in terms of both software and hardware; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
 
(3) as there are views that organizing mega events is one of the important directions in attracting the high-end consumer group, whether the Government has conducted promotion targeting the high-end consumer group from specific countries/regions on mega events organized by Hong Kong; if so, of the following information on such promotional efforts (set out in the table below): (i) countries/regions targeted, (ii) form of promotion and details of strategies adopted, and (iii) effectiveness; if not, the reasons for that; and

Title of mega event	(i)	(ii)	(iii)

(4) as it is learnt that the life style and consumption pattern of the Muslim high-end consumer group carry distinct religious overtones, whether the authorities have considered adding more Muslim-friendly facilities in the 18 districts in Hong Kong and compiling a guidebook on Halal-certified food and dining, so as to enhance the awareness of and interest in Hong Kong’s unique travel experience among the Muslim high-end consumer group, thereby attracting them to stay longer and extend the length of their overnight stay in Hong Kong; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
 
Reply:
 
President,

     We have been actively developing tourism products and projects with local and international characteristics and diversifying source markets, with a view to attracting high value-added overnight visitors and driving high-quality tourism development. In respect of the question raised by the Hon Nixie Lam, having consulted the Environment and Ecology Bureau, the reply is as follows:

(1) Hong Kong’s tourism industry is mature with different types of travel agents in the market providing personalised themed itinerary planning and other services for high-spending clients or tourists from other source markets and with different characteristics. With reference to visitors’ budget and preferences, travel agents tailor-make itineraries of different themes and contents, so as to provide tourists with high-quality travel experiences. For instance, to attract visitors having a preference in high-end tourism experiences and specially curated itineraries, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) collaborated with the travel trade and launched in May this year a new guidebook “Travel in Luxe．Hong Kong” featuring a wide range of the city’s distinctive lifestyle travel experiences, including thematic selections in family bonds offerings. Some examples of these experiences include whole-venue blocked-out theme park exploration, VIP-exclusive interactions in attractions, accommodation in luxurious suites in star-rated hotels, etc. The guidebook also introduces other exquisite services, which are of great interest to high-spending visitors, such as private jets, helicopters, yachts, VIP group reservation of the Peak Tram, exclusive shopping at luxury brand stores and more. The luxury travel experience guidebook enables high-spending visitors to plan their trip to Hong Kong. The HKTB will continue to adopt a multi-faceted strategy to attract high-spending visitors to Hong Kong to enrich their tourist experience, extend their stay and increase their spending in Hong Kong at the same time.
 
(2) As an international tourist destination, we have been working tirelessly to enhance Hong Kong’s tourism facilities and supporting services for providing tourists with high-quality travel experiences. In terms of nursery facilities, many tourist attractions such as Hong Kong Disneyland, Hong Kong Ocean Park, M+, Hong Kong Palace Museum, Hong Kong Wetland Park, Ngong Ping 360, Hong Kong Museum of Art, etc, have their nursery rooms open to visitors to facilitate their taking care of babies.
 
     In respect of import of animals, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) currently regulates the import of live animals through a permit system, to prevent the transmission of animal diseases, including rabies, into Hong Kong. Rabies is a contagious disease that can cause human fatality and the incubation period can last several months. Rabies is almost always fatal once clinical signs appear and no specific treatment is available. Currently, cats and dogs imported from places that are considered rabies-free or where rabies cases are few and under effective control are exempt from quarantine, provided that relevant requirements are fulfilled. As for cats and dogs imported from places with higher or uncertain risk of rabies, they must undergo quarantine for not less than 120 days, to prevent the transmission of rabies into Hong Kong. In view of recent developments in biotechnology, the AFCD is conducting risk assessment to explore the feasibility of shortening the quarantine period for imported cats and dogs, by measures such as rabies vaccination and rabies antibody titer testing.
 
(3) Mega events can successfully showcase Hong Kong’s strengths and charms, while creating more exciting experiences for global visitors, including high-spending segments. They will in turn boost the economic gains of tourism, hotel, food and beverage, retail, and other sectors. The Government announced on May 21 the calendar of mega events in Hong Kong for the second half of 2024. It is estimated that at least 210 mega events would be held throughout the year and approximately 1.7 million tourists would be drawn to participate in the mega events. Their spending is estimated to be about HK$7.2 billion, bringing value-added of about HK$4.3 billion to the Hong Kong economy.
 
     The HKTB leverages different mega events and city happenings to launch global promotions in different source markets, followed by rolling out specific strategies and tourism products in respect of different markets. For instance, in light of the series of world-class art and cultural events during “Art March”, including Art@Hrabour, Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central, together with another large-scale art event, French May, the HKTB partnered with Mainland travel agents to introduce travel packages featuring high-end local hotels and admission tickets to the exhibitions or arts and cultural attractions, to motivate visitors to come to Hong Kong for art and cultural tours. The HKTB also joined hands with Mainland airlines to organise an air ticket lucky draw campaign riding on “Art March” to attract visitors to Hong Kong and spend in town. On its Mainland social media platforms including WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Weibo, and in partnership with Xiaohongshu, the HKTB produced and launched art and cultural map and invited KOLs to visit the city, jointly promoting Hong Kong’s art and cultural tourism appeal.
 
     On the other hand, riding on the Hong Kong Sevens in April, the HKTB also rolled out overseas promotions targeting different segments, partnering with overseas travel agents to launch event-limited Hong Kong Sevens-focused tourism products and media familiarisation experiences, so as to deepen overseas travellers’ understanding of Hong Kong’s mega event ambience. For mature rugby markets such as Australia and South Korea, the HKTB not only invited local media to visit Hong Kong to watch the games, but also worked with Australian travel agents to design Hong Kong Sevens-themed tourism products to target high-spending travellers.
 
     With the positive responses received by the HKTB events among the public and visitors, the HKTB will continue to stage its six flagship events of various experiences including sports, gastronomy, and festivity, including the Hong Kong International Dragon Boat Races, the Hong Kong Cyclothon, the Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival, the Hong Kong WinterFest, the Hong Kong New Year Countdown Celebrations and the Hong Kong Chinese New Year Celebrations, while injecting new perspectives, elements and experiences to enrich the event content and further enhance their appeal. At the same time, the HKTB will step up promotions in the Mainland and overseas to attract visitors to visit Hong Kong repeatedly for participating in these events.
      
     The HKTB also rides on various international Meetings, Incentive travels, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) events such as the 17th Asian Financial Forum, WOW Summit Hong Kong 2024 and Fortune Innovation Forum to offer the visiting participants with different art and cultural experiences, including complimentary tickets to M+ and Hong Kong Palace Museum, land and sea adventures on Chinese-style junk Aqua Luna, nostalgic tram and open-top sightseeing bus tour across the Victoria Harbour and among different landmarks and iconic attractions in the city. The experience let the participants take a journey beyond the conference halls and expose them to the brilliant night-time urban charm of Hong Kong, while promoting Hong Kong’s tourism appeal and stimulating their spending.
 
(4) The Muslim is a tourism segment with great potential. The HKTB has consolidated a series of travel information for Muslim visitors on its website DiscoverHongKong.com, including cuisines, hotels and accommodations, local cultures and activities suitable for Muslim visitors, with a view to attracting them to travel to Hong Kong and enhancing their travelling experience in the city. In addition, the HKTB will co-operate with the trade to further enhance the publicity of the infrastructure with a view to promoting Muslim travel. The HKTB will invite credible Muslim accreditation organisation to collaborate with local accreditation organisation for helping trade partners in different sectors such as hotels, shopping arcades and attractions to be certified in order to develop Hong Kong as a Muslim-friendly destination. Local Muslim groups will be invited to organise briefing sessions for the trade on the needs of Muslim visitors in terms of food and beverage, accommodation and attraction facilities, so as to help the trade to better understand Muslim-friendly tourism. The HKTB will also produce different promotional materials and enhance the content of its website to attract more Muslim visitors to visit Hong Kong.
 
     In terms of visitor source markets, the Middle East has become an emerging market drawing attention in recent years. In May this year, the HKTB launched a series of promotions targeting countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, with a view to stepping up efforts to promote Hong Kong tourism to the Middle East source markets and attracting more visitors.
      
     The HKTB also led the largest-ever trade delegation from Hong Kong with more than 30 representatives of the Hong Kong travel trade, including travel agents, attractions and hotels, to participate in the largest international travel trade show in the Middle East, Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, from May 6 to 9, 2024. The delegate networked with trade partners in the Middle East and discussed partnership opportunities. The HKTB set up a pavilion of Hong Kong at the event to showcase the city’s novel experiences and offerings, deepening Arabian trade partners’ understanding of Hong Kong in the tourism industry.
      
     During the period of ATM, the HKTB signed two partnership memoranda of understanding (MoU) respectively, one with the leading airline in the Middle East Emirates and the other with leading online travel agent Dnata Travel Group to deepen exchange and partnership in promoting Hong Kong as an ideal tourism destination among Middle Eastern markets. The HKTB will partner with Emirates to organise familiarisation trip to Hong Kong for media, KOLs, travel trade and other stakeholders from GCC countries, allowing them to experience Hong Kong in person through specially curated itineraries. On the other hand, the HKTB and Dnata Travel Group will jointly promote Hong Kong tourism through the travel agent’s online and offline platforms.
      
     In addition to the promotions in the Middle East, the HKTB has invited more than 10 entrepreneurs, travel trade representatives and stakeholders from the Middle East to visit Hong Kong in May this year to experience the charm of Hong Kong. The group also visited Muslim-friendly facilities in Hong Kong to deepen their understanding of Hong Kong’s cuisine, hotel accommodation, culture and travel experience for Muslim travelers so that they may in turn recommend Hong Kong to more travellers from the Middle East through their influence and networks. read more