Four approaches to boost tourism as HKTB allocated HK$971 million from Budget

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will receive an additional allocation of HK$971 million over the next three fiscal years as part of the Budget, aimed at promoting the tourist industry.

The chairman of HKTB Pang Yiu-kai expressed his gratitude for the HK$665 million fund in the 2024/25 fiscal year, as well as the resources reserved for the Board in the subsequent fiscal years.

He stated that HKTB will adopt four key strategies to drive the city’s status as one of the world’s top visitor destinations – including developing diverse tourist experiences,  organizing and supporting mega events, stepping up promotions in visitor source *markets, and joining* hands with the industry to enhance the capacity to receive visitors.

Around HK$354 million of the funding will be utilized to revamp the “A Symphony of Lights” in the coming three years, and the promotion of city walks, outlying island tours, and other immersive experiences will continue.

The second approach will be staging and supporting large-scale international events, with HK$100 million allocated over the next three years to the event coordination and promotion team, with approximately HK$33 million to be used in the coming fiscal year.

Over HK$176 million will be invested in developing and strengthening the promotion of various visitor source markets and their enhancement, as well as launching a series of promotions in Xian and Qingdao – the two cities recently added to the Individual Visit Scheme.

The Tourism Board will also be spending HK$102 million on enhancing service quality and providing continuous support to the travel trade. A new promotional campaign will be initiated to encourage the tourist industry as well as the public to be excellent hosts, and the Board will also enhance products and services for potential visitor cohorts such as Muslim travelers.

Separately, the Board said it is preparing for the monthly pyrotechnics and drone shows mentioned in the Budget. The initial concept is to showcase the unique characteristics of Hong Kong with different themes and designs that will be regularly updated. 

Further details will be announced in due course, it added.