Travel and Tourism 1 293
In May, visitors to the Ngong Ping village witnessed a new Guinness record for 'Most people playing wood block/Chinese block' during a celebration marking Buddha's Birthday. In November, Ngong Ping 360 won the prestigious 'Globe Award for Major New Tourism Projects Worldwide' presented by the British Guild of Travel Writers.
Projects in the Pipeline
Apart from the cruise terminal, the Government is working on making tourist spots across Hong Kong more attractive. Work on a piazza and garden at Ngong Ping is expected to be completed in early 2010, and will link Ngong Ping Village to Po Lin Monastery and the site of the Tian Tan Buddha.
Plans are also in hand for a promenade to be built on the waterfront at Lei Yue Mun and steps for people disembarking there from small boats. Lei Yue Mun is a former fishing village famous for its seafood restaurants, well patronised by local and overseas visitors.
Another project being planned is a piazza to be built at the bus terminus site outside the Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Pier. It will link up the attractions, cultural facilities and activity in the vicinity. Fronted by Victoria Harbour, the piazza is expected to become a prime attraction and landmark. An open design competition is being organised and the winning work will be adopted for the piazza.
Hong Kong Tourism Board
The Hong Kong Tourism Board is a statutory Government subvented organisation, responsible for marketing and promoting Hong Kong around the world as a preferred travel destination. Its board of directors consists of 20 members, representing tourism-related interests and community leaders. It works from a head office in Hong Kong and has 15 branch offices and six representative offices around the world.
Information Network
The HKTB mans three visitor centres in Hong Kong, on the Peak, in Causeway Bay and Tsim Sha Tsui. It also has information counters at the Hong Kong International Airport and the Lo Wu boundary crossing.
Its website www.discoverhongkong.com receives more than 24 million page views per month. To help visitors make the most of their stay in Hong Kong, the website provides an 'Interactive Itinerary Planner' which enables visitors to tailor itineraries according to their needs and interests before departing for Hong Kong. The HKTB continues to promote Hong Kong through different communication channels such as Facebook and Youtube.
Marketing
The HKTB spearheads Hong Kong's promotional programmes in major source markets. The board is continually looking for new sources of travellers such as those in Russia and the Middle East. It also targets specific groups of travellers such as Japan's senior citizens, families in India as well as Taiwan's young travellers. The