Ten local tourist attractions are to receive government funding totalling HK$10 million for the purposes of promotion in overseas markets, Hong Kong Tourism Board announced on Tuesday.
The funds were made available under the Matching Fund for Overseas Tourism Promotion by Tourist Attractions, which was set up this September to provide attractions with subsidies to enhance their overseas promotions. Ten attractions will be covered by the scheme, namely the Hong Kong 3D Museum, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Madam Tussauds Hong Kong, Ngong Ping 360, Noah’s Ark, Ocean Park Hong Kong, Peak Tramways, PMQ, the Repulse Bay Visual Art Museum, and the sky100 Observation Deck.
Among the attractions, Ngong Ping 360 will be granted the highest amount of funding – HK$1.77m.
Under the program, a total of 69 promotions will run between November 2015 and March 2016 in 12 visitor markets, including mainland China, Japan, Korea, Australia, the US, various countries in Southeast Asia and more.
“Tourism is one of the pillars of Hong Kong’s economy… it makes up 5% of Hong Kong’s GDP and employs a workforce of 270,000, so it is extremely important. We’ve all noticed that that the industry is slowing down, and we must work harder to diversify our output and strengthen promotion… we’ve received great response from the industry with regards to the fund,” said Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Gregory So Kam Leung.
The promotions range from discounts on admission tickets to joint promotions between attractions. There will also be partnerships between online travel agencies, airlines, hotels, and retail and dining merchants, both overseas and local. “You can say that it’s a cooperation between business sectors – I think some creative ideas will come out of this,” So said.
