Hong Kong needs a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to boost tourism, such as by promoting the National Games alongside other concurrent events, industry representatives have said, highlighting challenges facing the sector.
Despite a post-pandemic surge in the number of arrivals, the representatives also noted emerging trends required more promotion and that visitors were now skipping traditional tourist attractions.
“We are still observing whether the National Games will bring a lot of visitors to Hong Kong,” Caspar Tsui Ying-wai, executive director of the Federation of Hong Kong Hotel Owners, told a radio show on Wednesday.
“We can see that Macau is putting a lot of effort into the promotion of the National Games, which is being bundled up with the Macau Grand Prix. Will a lot of people come to Hong Kong with us just sitting around? I think more needs to be done.”
The National Games are scheduled to take place between November 9 and 21 in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province, while the annual racing tournament in Macau will be held from November 13 to 16.
Hong Kong tourism minister Rosanna Law Shuk-pui revealed on Monday that the city welcomed 5.15 million visitors last month, marking a 16 per cent growth year on year, hitting a post-Covid high.
