Hong Kong’s tourism sector is capitalizing on stronger ties with other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to offer innovative travel experiences, officials and industry leaders said on Wednesday.

They made their remarks at the Hong Kong Tourism Development Forum, which was attended by around 600 representatives from the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong tourism industries seeking to chart the future strategic direction of the city’s tourism sector.

Delivering an opening speech, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui highlighted the city’s post-COVID 19 pandemic tourist rebound in 2024, with visitor arrivals having surged 31 percent year-on-year in 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, the city received over 12 million visitors, marking a 9 percent increase compared with the same period last year, added Law.

The number of tourists from the Greater Bay Area, one of the city’s largest visitor source markets, has also risen following the resumption of the multi-entry travel endorsements for Shenzhen residents, effective from Dec 1, 2024, according to official data.

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Law said that, while the recovery in momentum is impressive, sustained growth demands that innovation be aligned with global trends — which is what prompted the city’s Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0, released in December.

The five-year strategy outlines 133 measures ranging from diversified tourism product offerings, to attracting tourists from more markets, and improving service through smart technologies.

The blueprint also highlights support from the central government, such as expanding the Individual Visit Scheme to more Chinese mainland cities, and raising the duty-free allowance for items brought back to the mainland from Hong Kong by visitors, measures which have successfully boosted tourist numbers from the mainland.

Law pledged she would lead her team in enhancing collaboration with government stakeholders to implement the blueprint, empowering the industry to unlock Hong Kong’s full tourism potential. She also urged stakeholders to break through limitations, embrace innovation and technology, and propose new solutions to inject fresh momentum into the sector.

Peter Lam Kin-ngok, chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, said that Hong Kong’s tourism industry accounted for 11.5 percent of GDP and 14.7 percent of jobs in 2024, and plays a significant role in the economy.

He highlighted Hong Kong’s unique East-meets-West cultural appeal and its strategic position as a Greater Bay Area gateway, adding that the development of cruise tourism has linked the city to more regional destinations.

Lam noted the significant increase in the number of visitors in 2024, but also pointed out that the sector has yet to fully rebound to pre-pandemic levels. He called for the introduction of new ideas, intellectual property and talent to the industry, urging the full participation of and closer partnerships between the government, industry, and communities to position Hong Kong as a world-class destination.

Wang Haimin, chairman of China Tourism Group, said Hong Kong welcomed over 10 million visitors from overseas markets last year, with about 80 percent of international tourists combining their Hong Kong visit with trips to the Greater Bay Area.

Wang encouraged Hong Kong to leverage its world-class airport and transport links to bring more overseas tourists to the Greater Bay Area’s cultural treasures — from Cantonese opera to diverse culinary traditions.

With the Greater Bay Area’s gross domestic product projected to reach $4.6 trillion by 2030, Wang called for deeper collaboration to create unified tourism offerings that attract global visitors.

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Michael Moriarty, managing director of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, introduced the theme park’s effort in driving Greater Bay Area tourism in a keynote speech.

Moriarty emphasized that the park’s accessibility, around 90 minutes from major Greater Bay Area cities, positions it as the region’s premier destination.

Another keynote speaker Ronald Lam Siu-por, CEO of Cathay Group, said the local mega events it sponsored every year have helped attract tens of thousands of visitors. Lam said he hopes that the full-capacity operation of Hong Kong International Airport’s three-runway system can further boost capacity to propel tourism growth.

James Tang Lan, senior vice-president of Trip.com Group, a leading mainland online travel agency, promoted tourism for niche markets and sustainable travel, advocating launching green and low-carbon-emission certifications for hotels, attractions and transportation operators.

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Following the speeches, a panel explored emerging tourism trends, attended by several stakeholders from the mainland and Hong Kong.

A forum, themed “Future Forward: Hong Kong Tourism New Horizons”, was a flagship event of the World Tourism Cities Federation’s Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit. The premier tourism event, hosted in Hong Kong for the first time, started on Monday and will run through Thursday.

Contact the writer at stephyzhang@chinadailyhk.com