The second Annual Meeting of the Tourism Federation of Cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area was held in Hong Kong today (June 12). Around 40 representatives from the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province, the Macao Government Tourism Office and the tourism departments of the nine Mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, namely Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Huizhou, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing, attended the meeting to exchange views on tourism development within the region.
The Commissioner for Tourism, Mr Joe Wong, is the rotating Chairman of the Federation's second Annual Meeting. Speaking at the meeting, Mr Wong said, "With the Outline Development Plan for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area announced in February 2019, I hope Hong Kong can leverage the opportunities brought about by the development of the Greater Bay Area to deepen co-operation with other cities in the region for mutual benefits."
He added, "The Outline Development Plan expressly supports Hong Kong in developing into an international tourism hub, a core demonstration zone for multi-destination tourism, as well as a diverse tourism platform. Leveraging on Hong Kong's rich tourism resources and well-established transport infrastructure, we can take up the role as the international tourism hub in the Greater Bay Area, attracting more overseas tourists to visit Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area via Hong Kong, thereby promoting the overall tourism development in the region."
Mr Wong said that the meeting was fruitful with representatives from different places reaching a consensus to continue strengthening co-operation amongst each other. Collaboration measures include pursuing more facilitating measures for tourists travelling within the Greater Bay Area, strengthening co-operation in market regulation and publicity and promotion, and supporting the trade in developing more multi-destination products.
The Federation was jointly established by the tourism departments of the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions as well as the nine Mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area in December 2017, with a view to promoting tourism co-operation and development within the region. The Federation's advisory unit and secretariat are the national Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province respectively.
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