tourism

Wine & Dine Festival promoted at convention

The Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival will be held October 30-November 8.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) promoted its upcoming Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival at a major international food and restaurant convention held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre earlier this month. 

At the 13th Asian International Exhibition of Food and Drink, Hotel, Restaurant & Foodservice Equipment, Supplies & Services (HOFEX 2009), which was held May 6-9, HKTB staff distributed brochures about the Wine and Dine Festival to exhibitors, urging them to take part in the event. A video vignette was also screened at the HKTB’s booth and is available on its Web site.

The anchor event of the HKTB’s Hong Kong Food and Wine Year, the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival will be held October 30-November 8. During the event at the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade, booths and pavilions will showcase fine wine from all over the world, local dining delights and live entertainment.

Visitor arrivals increase 1.7% in March

Figures released by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) show that visitor arrivals in March reached 2,445,289, a 1.7% increase year-on-year. This brings cumulative arrivals for the first quarter of 2009 to 7,403,713 — 1.8% ahead of the same period last year.
HKTB Chairman James Tien said Hong Kong’s tourism industry had a positive start in the first quarter, driven by the growth of Mainland arrivals. 

“Notwithstanding the slight gain, the tourism outlook remains highly volatile, given the continued impact of the financial crisis and the threat of the swine flu.  In view of the uncertainty, the HKTB will stay highly alert to changes in the marketplace,” said Mr. Tien. “We will review the conditions and performance of the source markets on a quarterly basis, and adjust our investment and strategies when necessary.”

In March, mainland China was the best performing of all long- and short-haul market regions, with the number of arrivals up 13.3% to 1,438,182. The number of Mainland arrivals totalled 4,675,809 in the first quarter of 2009, a 12.6% year-on-year increase.
All long-haul regions continued their downward trend from the last quarter of 2008 and registered double-digit decreases, given that consumer confidence remained low due to the economic turmoil.

Short-haul regions, with the exception of mainland China, also registered fewer arrivals in the first quarter. In particular, the number of arrivals from North Asia decreased 20.7%, as a result of the weakened won and poor travel sentiments in South Korea. Arrivals from Taiwan decreased 9.2%, as the impact of cross-strait direct links became increasingly apparent. Visitor arrivals from different market regions in March and the first quarter of 2009 are summarized below:

Of all the March visitors, 58.5% stayed in the city at least one night, 1% more than in March 2008. The remaining 41.5% of visitors either returned home or left for another destination on the same day as arrival.

Hotel occupancy in March was 82%, 4% lower than in March 2008. The average achieved hotel room rate across all hotel categories was US$137.82, down 21.1% year-on-year.

Meet-the-Locals Volunteer Program launches

On May 5, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) launched its first-ever Meet-the-Locals Volunteer Program. Residents familiar with Hong Kong’s local living culture will be recruited to become “Hong Kong Pals” and provide travel information to visitors from across the globe. The volunteers will also introduce Hong Kong’s way of life and culture, as well as make travel recommendations based on their own favorite sites and activities. These interactions will enable visitors to realize their aspirations for having in-depth experiences of Hong Kong.

“In recent years, competition among regional travel destinations has become more intense than ever, especially in the wake of the financial tsunami. Every destination is aggressively seeking visitor sources,” said HKTB Chairman James Tien. “In HKTB’s view, if we are to get our piece of the pie, then Hong Kong’s unique living culture should be our principal ‘soft’ asset.

“We hope that the Meet-the-Locals volunteers can convey to visitors their knowledge and personal experience of Hong Kong’s colorful lifestyle and culture, and help them explore Hong Kong in a fresh new way.”

Mr. Tien said the program will allow Hong Kong residents to take up positions on the front line of servicing visitors, displaying the warm, hospitable face of the city and promoting Hong Kong tourism alongside the HKTB.

From October to September 2010, Hong Kong Pals will offer services at the HKTB Visitor Centres at the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Concourse and The Peak.

A Selection Committee will interview applicants and choose 30 Hong Kong Pals this June. These Pals will undergo approximately 60 hours of training this summer, before the program officially starts.