HONG KONG – Over 800 global tourism heavyweights convened in Hong Kong on Tuesday to chart innovative and sustainable pathways for the high-quality development of the tourism trade.
They also highlighted Hong Kong’s appeal as a world-class tourism destination, and discussed the city’s catalytic influence in shaping the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area market — an urban cluster with huge potential for the global tourism industry.
Held in the city for the first time, the World Tourism Cities Federation’s (WTCF) Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit attracted more than 800 local and international government officials, industry leaders and tourism-related stakeholders — the event’s most impressive attendance to date — from over 40 countries and 60 cities across Asia, the Americas, Europe, Africa and Oceania, under the banner “Innovate City Branding to Elevate Tourism Excellence”.
A “Hong Kong Initiative” was released during the summit’s first day, offering clear road maps and practical guidance in five aspects to promote high-quality development of the global tourism industry.
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The initiative proposes that tourism cities integrate technological innovation with sustainable practices and promote cross-sector collaboration to build smart tourism platforms powered by advanced technologies, such as big data, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things. It also calls for strengthening real-time monitoring of tourism safety with technology.
The initiative also suggests that the goals of developing tourism should be to promote environmental protection, social equity and economic sustainability, as well as to build a cooperation mechanism between the government, communities and tourists.
Officiating the event’s opening ceremony, Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said: “Hong Kong is determined to continue with its dedication to free and open trade that has also led us to become one of the world's greatest centers for tourism.”
Lee added that Hong Kong can join hands with other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to promote regional tourism and cooperate with tourist cities all over the world to boost the industry.
The Greater Bay Area has huge development opportunities for furthering the tourism industry, Lee said, citing the cluster’s population of over 86 million, and its combined gross domestic product that rivals that of the world’s 10th largest economy.
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The Bay Area’s huge consumer market, as well as Hong Kong's attractions, cultural events, Michelin-starred restaurants and outdoor activities, will contribute to the city’s positioning as a vibrant and welcoming international tourist destination, said Lee.
The latest issue of the Global Tourism Economy Trends Report was also released at the summit, and identified the Asia-Pacific region as a new growth engine for the global tourism economy, forecasting that Asia-Pacific tourism revenue growth may exceed 10 percent in 2025.
Sima Hong, executive deputy director of the WTCF’s board, said Hong Kong needs to step up efforts to build tourism brands to further extend the city's influence and competitiveness.
Sima, who is also vice-mayor of Beijing, said she hopes more cities will promote upgrading the tourism industry through digitalization, enhanced infrastructure as well as tourist-centered services.
She said she hopes that mainland cities and Hong Kong can collaborate on tourism product design, service quality improvement and international marketing to provide more convenient, rich and diversified tourism services for global tourists.
A mayors' forum was hosted on Tuesday afternoon, gathering mayors from San Salvador, Greece, Sri Lanka and Morocco to discuss innovative strategies for branding tourism cities.
The Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum — another flagship event of the summit — will be hosted on Wednesday with the theme “Future Forward: Hong Kong Tourism New Horizons”, with the aim of mapping out the future strategic direction of Hong Kong tourism.
Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com
