The number of arrivals to Hong Kong in 2011 hit a record high of almost 42 million, according to figures from the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).
This is encouraging news for the hotel and tourism industry. More visitors mean more hotel rooms are needed. Several new hotels are expected to open their doors in 2012, while according to HKTB, the total number of local hotels is expected to rise to 231 in 2016.
There seems little doubt that Hong Kong's tourism and hotel industry will remain robust, and there will be plenty of job opportunities for young people who are interested in the industry.
The School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM), part of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), offers various courses to those who are eager to join the industry. In 2009, the school launched a BSc (Hons) programme in convention and event management. It is currently the only school in Hong Kong that offers a course in this area.
The programme covers all major aspects of the conventions and events industry. This includes planning corporate events, festivals, conventions, meetings and special events; how to meet logistical and site-selection challenges when organising events and exhibitions; and to understand the relationship between hotels and other venues in the conventions and exhibitions industry.
'We launched the course because we saw the need,' says Pauline Ngan, marketing manager at SHTM. 'There was a strong voice from the conventions and exhibitions industry that demanded we launch a programme to help them train talent. There was even an advisory committee formed by people from the industry to help us design the programme.
'It was launched three years ago and it has proved to be a huge success. It is very popular with applicants, while the industry also welcomes it because it helps solve the problem of talent shortage in the industry,' Ngan says.