Hong Kong welcomes first of expanded IVS arrivals
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Riding on the Mainland’s implementation of the arrangement to allow non-Guangdong residents ordinarily residing in Shenzhen to apply for endorsement under the Individual Visit Scheme (IVS), the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) joined hands with the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau and the Shenzhen Bureau of Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to arrange for the first batch of applicants to visit Hong Kong today and tomorrow (15 and 16 December). To create a memorable experience for these visitors, the HKTB has co-operated with the local travel-related sectors to present each visitor with gifts and discounts worth over HK$5,400. The HKTB hopes that they would recommend Hong Kong to their friends and relatives, and make full use of the convenience of the IVS permit to visit Hong Kong in future.
To extend Hong Kong’s warmest hospitality to the visitors, the HKTB held a special welcome ceremony at Harbour City today, graced by the presence of representatives from the tourism and related trades. They included Mr Guy Look, Vice Chairman, Hong Kong Retail Management Association; The Hon Vincent Fang, Honorary Advisor, Hong Kong Retail Management Association; The Hon Tommy Cheung, Chairman, Hong Kong Catering Industry Association; Mr Michael Wu, Chairman, Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong; Mr Ronnie Ho, Honorary Advisor, Hong Kong Travel Industry Council and Mr James Lu, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Hotels Association. These guests also shared their views on how the travel-related sectors in Hong Kong can benefit from this new measure.
HKTB Chairman Mr James Tien said: “The HKTB and the travel-related industry warmly welcome this first group of non-Guangdong residents in Shenzhen to Hong Kong. We look forward to even more of the residents taking advantage of the convenience of the new measure to visit us and spend in Hong Kong, which will in turn give a boost to our tourism-related sectors.
“The HKTB will work closely with our trade partners to tap the potential of this high-spending group, cultivating a new visitor segment for our tourism in a long run,” Mr Tien continued. “We urge the local tourism-related sectors to seize the opportunity by launching programmes and incentives targeting these visitors, further growing their business.”
The HKTB will adopt a focused marketing approach targeting employees of 800 large-scale enterprises in Shenzhen, who have relatively higher spending power, and attract them to visit Hong Kong. Its promotion initiatives include working with travel trade partners to devise travel products that cater for the interest and needs of the non-Guangdong residents in Shenzhen. The HKTB will also collaborate with the Mainland travel trade to offer tour products bundling gifts, discounts and privileges. In addition, the HKTB is planning to organise regular roving promotions to these enterprises to heighten awareness of Hong Kong’s tourism appeal.
As early as May this year before the formal implementation of the new measure, the HKTB conducted a series of activities to publicise Hong Kong as a travel destination. For example, the HKTB collaborated with Putonghua TV/radio channels popular among Non-Guangdong residents in Shenzhen to produce special travel features and programmes about Hong Kong.
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