Travel and Tourism | 315
such as the Tian Tan Buddha, commonly known as the 'Big Buddha', the Po Lin Monastery, the Ngong Ping Piazza, the Wisdom Path, the quaint fishing village of Tai O and enticing beaches on the southern part of the island.
Hong Kong Tourism Board
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is a statutory Government subvented organisation, responsible for marketing and promoting Hong Kong around the world as a preferred travel destination. It comprises 20 members from various tourism-related sectors and community leaders. It works from a head office in Hong Kong and has 16 offices around the world as well as representatives in five source markets.
Information Network
The HKTB has four visitor service centres in Hong Kong, on the Peak, in Tsim Sha Tsui, at the Hong Kong International Airport and the Lo Wu boundary crossing.
A 'Hong Kong Pals Programme', launched in 2009 for visitors to explore Hong Kong in-depth, continues to be popular.
The HKTB website www.discoverhongkong.com receives more than 4.5 million visits per month and offers information in 20 languages. The HKTB also promotes Hong Kong's many attractions and mega events through mobile phones and social networking channels.
Marketing
The HKTB spearheads promotional programmes in major tourist source markets. It started using 'Hong Kong • Asia's World City' as its marketing theme in 2011 to highlight Hong Kong's core attributes: vibrancy, unique fusion of East and West, cosmopolitan lifestyle and trend-setting edge.
Service Quality
Quality Tourism Services
The HKTB's Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme for promoting quality services at shops, restaurants, visitor accommodation facilities and hair salons is widely. supported by the industry and has encouraged many in the industry to improve their services. At the end of 2011, some 1 300 local establishments with over 7500 outlets, had earned QTS accreditation.
Honest and Quality Tourism
The Government works closely with the tourism industry and related organisations to promote honest and quality tourism. After amending the Trade Descriptions Ordinance in 2008 to combat false description of goods and other deceptive trade measures, the Hong Kong Police Force and the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department stepped up inspection and actions against offenders to protect consumers' rights. The Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong (TIC) inspects tour operations and registered shops regularly. It also operates a 'Refund Protection Scheme (Registered Shops) for Inbound Tour Group Shoppers'. Under the Scheme,