Hong Kong Tourism Board to woo overnight big spenders, diversify visitor mix
Board executive director Anthony Lau says 75 per cent of its resources will go towards overseas markets
The Hong Kong Tourism Board will allocate three-quarters of its resources to overseas markets this year in a shift aimed at diversifying visitor demographics and attracting more overnight high spenders.
The board also revealed on Wednesday that it would launch a new global campaign by the end of April to promote Hong Kong as a unique world city through social media, advertisements on regional broadcasters and billboards in selected countries.
“It is not an easy task to convince those visitors who only plan for a day trip to Hong Kong to stay overnight,” board executive director Anthony Lau Chun-hon said, referring to tourists coming from nearby mainland Chinese cities.
“If so, why don’t we focus on attracting more visitors from farther away or overseas?”
Unveiling the board’s work plan for this year, Lau said the government-subvented body would adjust its resource allocation by placing 75 per cent of the funding towards overseas markets.
Besides major markets, the board will step up efforts in Asean countries, such as Vietnam and Cambodia, the Middle East and India, alongside other potential European markets like Italy and Spain.