Hong Kong Tourism Board will receive more than HK$1.23 billion from the government to make Hong Kong a world-class tourist designation.
Hong Kong is “making extra efforts to impress” travellers from the Middle East and the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) as it plans to attract high-end tourists to the city.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will receive more than HK$1.23 billion from the government. The budget was to implement the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism Industry 2.0, a five-year plan that the government released last December.
It aims to make Hong Kong a world-class destination by integrating tourism with its culture, sports, and mega-events, enhancing service quality, and improving infrastructure to attract tourists. The budget is an increase of over HK$1.04 billion allocated to the HKTB in the previous fiscal year.
Quick to embrace the trend were Chinasology, a posh restaurant at the International Financial Centre where UBS Group AG and Millennium Management have offices, and the Grand Hyatt, which introduced the Koran, a religious text in Islam in rooms, along with saunas and steam rooms, alcohol-free options in minibars. It now serves 20 Chinese dishes and two halal-friendly tasting menus with pricing per person ranging from HK$880 to HK$1,388 ($113 to $179).
Financial Secretary Paul Chan stated in Cantonese that the government is trying to introduce a special place for worship in hotels and train their staff to understand the different cultural backgrounds of their visitors to ensure they create a “friendly environment” for their customers.
HK authorities are trying to get Muslim-friendly certification for their restaurants and hotels in the city.
Chief Executive of Hong Kong, John Lee Ka-Chiu, asked HK tourism, food and beverage (F&B), and transport to better adapt to the religions and language to cater for Muslim visitors coming from the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
Chan added that the HKTB will continue hosting more travel incentives, conventions, and exhibitions to bring an additional 183,000 tourists and generate around HK$1.4 billion in spending.
The government is trying to boost the tourist numbers to the level seen before the 2019 protests. Due to the economic challenges in the mainland, Chinese tourists are also spending less on average than they used to, which is causing a dent in tourism revenue.
Fazal Bahardeen, the CEO of CrescentRating, a Singapore-based company that specializes in halal rating and accreditation services for travellers, stated that these initiatives will help widen the economic interest by diversifying its visitor demographics, which is very important for fostering resilience in the tourism industry.
Hong Kong Tourism Board also developed a website called Travel in Luxe Hong Kong to cater to many Middle Eastern visitors who wanted high-end experiences. These include VIP shopping, helicopter sightseeing trips, finding help to arrange exclusive pool parties at the local water park.
Pang Yiu-kai, chair of the HKTB, appreciated the government’s new funding that helps boost the economy, create employment, and promote Hong Kong culture to the world.
The Incorporated Trustees of the Islamic Community Fund of Hong Kong, the primary organization representing the interests of the Muslim community in the city, stated that the number of halal-certified restaurants in Hong Kong, a home for 300,000 Muslims, has increased by 80% to 180.
As Hong Kong looks to reinforce itself as the centre of wealth management, many officials have visited the Gulf to strengthen their relationships and attract investments, especially from ultra-rich families.
Ann Foo, director of sales and marketing at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, claimed to have noticed a surge in visitors from the Middle East and ASEAN regions.
The financial secretary, Chan, added that they will include tourist events like eco‑tourism, panda tourism, horse-racing tourism, etc., to enhance travel experiences in Hong Kong.
