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Travel and Tourism
members from various tourism-related sectors and community leaders. In addition to its Hong Kong head office, the board has 15 offices worldwide and representatives in six source markets.
Information Network
There are five visitor centres locally: on The Peak, in Tsim Sha Tsui, at the Hong Kong International Airport, at the Lo Wu boundary crossing and (during ship calls) at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal.
Visitors can check out travel recommendations from locals through the Hong Kong Pals Programme, launched in 2009. Apart from this, travel information is available on the board's website in 22 versions and 15 languages. In 2015, the website was improved further to facilitate visitors' pre-trip planning and ease of getting travel information while in Hong Kong, and to integrate better with social media platforms. The board also promotes the city's many attractions and events through mobile applications and online campaigns via social networking sites.
Marketing
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The board spearheads the promotion of Hong Kong in major tourist source markets and strives to offer the best experiences for visitors. It adopts 'Hong Kong Asia's World City' as a destination brand to highlight Hong Kong's dynamism, cosmopolitan lifestyle and cultural diversity. Visitors can experience a vibrant living culture with a variety of attractions and a blend of East and West.
Service Quality
Honest and Good Quality Tourist Services
The government works closely with the tourism industry and related organisations to promote honest and quality services for tourists. The Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong inspects tour operations and registered shops regularly. It also operates a Refund Protection Scheme for Registered Shops, which allows Mainland tour group members who are unhappy with their purchases to return the goods and seek refunds within 180 days of purchase, provided the goods are in proper condition.
The government works with the council to enhance consumer protection and to ensure the healthy development and operation of the tourism market. Laws such as the Trade Descriptions Ordinance are in place to prohibit unfair trade practices and protect the legitimate interests of consumers, both visitors and local residents alike.
The board's Quality Tourism Services Scheme encourages shops, restaurants and visitor accommodation facilities to offer good services. It enjoys broad support; by the end of 2015, some 1,260 local establishments with about 8,240 outlets had earned QTS accreditation.
Hospitality Initiatives
Hospitality is essential to sustaining tourism. The government runs a Hong Kong Young Ambassador Scheme to train young people to be polite and helpful to visitors and to develop a strong hospitality culture in schools and in the community. More than 3,100 young people have joined the programme so far, rendering more than 280,000 hours of ambassadorial service.
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