Hong Kong tourism board allocates 70pc of budget to overseas markets

Hong Kong is putting more resources into expanding tourism from overseas, with 76 per cent of the city’s 2017 marketing budget allocated to attracting more international visitors, according to the city’s tourism promotion body.

The Hong Kong Tourism Board has secured a total of HK$480 million from the government so far this year.

“We were just given another HK$230 million from the government last week,” Anthony Lau Chun-hon, executive director of the tourism board, said at a symposium held by the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday, adding that details of the funding allocation would be unveiled later.

Tourist numbers from Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia reached an “all-time high” in 2016, Lau said, adding that 76 per cent of the tourism board’s marketing budget would therefore be used for attracting more international customers amid the expected lag in mainland Chinese visitors this year.

“We believe a volatile global economy, China’s ‘once a week’ visa policy, a weaker currency and changing customer behaviour will continue to affect mainland visitor numbers,” he said.

The city used to rely heavily on mainland visitors, who usually shop for luxury brands, jewellery and living necessities, which boosted the city’s economy.

In recent years, however, rising tensions between locals and mainlanders, a weaker yuan, as well as new restrictions on visa policy for mainland people visiting Hong Kong, all combined to drag down the visitor numbers.