Hong Kong Guanlan: Hong Kong's tourism industry has unique advantages and can "adapt and seek changes" to take advantage of the trend. Travel routes | Social | Hong Kong
China News Service, Hong Kong, May 5: Title: Hong Kong's tourism industry has unique advantages and can "adapt and seek changes" to take advantage of the trend.
The "May Day" Golden Week in the mainland ended on the 5th. According to the Hong Kong SAR government, as of the 4th, 670,000 mainland tourists visited Hong Kong. The entire Golden Week is expected to bring in more than HK$2 billion in consumer income. Despite the unfavorable weather and continuous rain in Hong Kong, major tourist attractions and business districts are still crowded with tourists, which fully proves the charm of Hong Kong tourism. The Hong Kong industry said that Hong Kong is rich in tourism resources and can further explore and innovate to enhance tourism competitiveness.
Hong Kong's tourism industry began to return to normal in February last year. The number of tourists visiting Hong Kong last year reached 34 million, far exceeding the previous estimate of 25.8 million. In the first quarter of this year, there were approximately 11.23 million tourists visiting Hong Kong, showing a strong momentum of continued recovery. This year, the central government's policies to benefit Hong Kong have been implemented one after another, and more cities have been included in the "individual travel" list to Hong Kong, which will be increasingly beneficial to Hong Kong's development of tourism.
As mainland visitors to Hong Kong increase, consumption patterns have actually undergone significant changes. In the past, people were more interested in shopping, especially luxury goods, but now they pay more attention to in-depth travel and leisure travel. Tourist routes have also become diversified, and they can be found in places of interest, theme parks, shopping hotspots, country parks, outlying island scenery, and local shops. Moreover, more and more young people from the mainland are discovering new check-in points based on recommendations on social platforms and coming to Hong Kong to experience the city atmosphere, see exhibitions, attend concerts, and participate in festivals.
Hong Kong, where Chinese and Western cultures gather, is rich in tourism resources and has unique advantages. In addition to developing various in-depth tours and special tours, including festivals, regions, folk customs, culture and other themed products, if tourists like natural scenery, Hong Kong also has more than 200 It is an outlying island and three-quarters of the land is countryside with beautiful scenery. Moreover, Hong Kong is also a capital of international events. This year, more than 40 large-scale events and international conferences have been held in Hong Kong, which also has a magnet effect on tourists.
Tourism is one of the main economic pillars of Hong Kong and can drive a series of surrounding industries and create many employment opportunities. In 2019 before the epidemic, it accounted for approximately 3.6% of Hong Kong's GDP, employed approximately 230,000 people, and accounted for approximately 6% of the overall employed population. The current Hong Kong SAR government is vigorously "working for people's livelihood and fighting for the economy" and formulating the "Hong Kong Tourism Development Blueprint 2.0", which will optimize various fields to coordinate with tourism development and further develop specialty tourism products.
However, Hong Kong's tourism industry also has some shortcomings, which must be faced to improve tourism competitiveness in the future, such as limited geographical space, relative shortage of some tourism supporting facilities, high hotel prices, and a shortage of tourism service personnel.
The Hong Kong industry said that in order to turn "popularity" into "wealth", the Hong Kong SAR government and the industry need to "recognize changes, respond to changes, and seek changes." The fireworks show recently launched by the Hong Kong SAR government has achieved a certain degree of attracting customers through enhanced publicity on mainland social platforms. In the future, the development of the tourism industry must conform to the trend of the times and follow the path of high-quality and distinctive features. While striving to improve services and experience, we must polish the golden paint sign of the "Hospitality City" and focus on creating attractive travel routes and products. Expand new tourism resources, improve supporting facilities, and meet the increasingly diverse needs of tourists with novel and high-quality experiences.