Question :
How will the Commerce, Industry and Tourism Branch enhance efforts in promoting co-operation between Hong Kong and Taiwan on tourism in 2012-13? Please advise on the manpower and resources involved in this area and the increase in expenditure as compared with that of the past two financial years. What achievements are expected (including the increase in the number of visitors and the amount of their spending in Hong Kong)?
Asked by : Hon. TSE Wai-chun, Paul
Reply :
In 2012-13, this Bureau will continue to support the promotion work of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) in Taiwan. Taiwan is Hong Kong’s second largest source market. The HKTB established an official office in Taipei in September 2011, which would further strengthen the HKTB’s presence and its promotion work in Taiwan, and deepen the exchanges and collaboration between the travel trade of the two places. In 2012-13, the HKTB will continue its efforts in carrying out active promotion work in the Taiwan market. It will target at family and young visitor segments to attract more overnight vacation visitors to Hong Kong, and will step up its promotion work in the second-tier cities in Taiwan (such as Taichung and Kaohsiung). The HKTB will launch a wide range of promotion activities in Taiwan, including targeting at local visitors’ interest and launching publicity to showcase Hong Kong’s appeal in shopping and dining by leveraging large-scale events like “Hong Kong Summer Spectacular” and “Hong Kong Wine and Dine Month”; collaborating with Taiwan television stations to feature Hong Kong’s tourism offerings in popular television programmes so as to increase Hong Kong’s exposure in Taiwan media; partnering with the trade in Taiwan to launch strategic promotions of Hong Kong’s tourism products during mega events and at large-scale travel fairs; and collaborating with the trade of Hong Kong and Taiwan to draw arrivals for incentive travels to Hong Kong.
The estimated marketing budget of the HKTB for Taiwan in 2012-13 is about $11.7 million, 15.8% lower than the actual expenditure for 2010-11 but 6.4% higher than the revised estimate for 2011-12. As regards staffing, the head-count of officers involved in the promotion work in Taiwan has been subsumed into the establishment of the HKTB. It is difficult to quantify it separately.
The HKTB projects that total visitor arrivals from Taiwan to Hong Kong in 2012 will increase to 2.19 million, representing a year-on-year increase of around 2%. Among these, overnight visitors with higher spending will increase by 7.1% to about 830 000. The total tourism expenditure associated to inbound Taiwanese visitors will increase to $5.807 billion, representing a 6.9% increase over the projection for 2011.