Mainland Chinese will remain bulk of tourists to Hong Kong for 5 years: minister
But Rosanna Law confident that number of foreign travellers will continue to rise, citing 30 per cent year-on-year increase over Christmas
Mainland Chinese travellers will remain the major source of visitors to Hong Kong over the next five years even as the industry undergoes a transformation outlined in a newly released development blueprint, the tourism chief has said
But Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui expressed confidence that the number of foreign travellers would continue to rise, citing a more than 30 per cent year-on-year increase during the Christmas holiday.
“The fact that mainlanders constitute the largest number of tourists to Hong Kong will not change over the next five years because of the proximity of Hong Kong to other mainland cities,” Law told a TV programme on Sunday.
“As for whether international tourists will increase, that is my goal. And I am very confident that the city can achieve that.”
Authorities last week unveiled a highly anticipated tourism industry development blueprint, which aimed to boost the economy by HK$120 billion (US$15.5 billion) and employ 210,000 people over the next five years.
Highlighting pandas, horse racing, mega-events and smart initiatives among updated strategies, the document emphasised Hong Kong’s role as a hub for international and multi-destination tourism and as a city where East meets West.
