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Travel and Tourism
Peak Tram
The Peak Tram is a funicular railway that began running from Garden Road in Central to The Peak in 1888. It offers a unique view of the ridgeline and skyscrapers of the city. Major upgrading works will start in 2019.
Hong Kong Tourism Board
The board is a statutory government-subvented organisation that markets Hong Kong round the world as a preferred travel destination. It comprises 20 members who represent various tourism-related sectors and communities. In addition to its Hong Kong head office, the board has 15 offices worldwide and representatives in six source markets.
Information Network
There are eight visitor centres locally, at the airport (two centres), The Peak Piazza, Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Concourse, Lo Wu boundary crossing terminal building, Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, HZMB Hong Kong Port and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, whose visitor centre operates during ship calls.
Visitors can check out travel recommendations from locals through the Hong Kong Pals programme. Travel information is also available from the board via its website, mobile applications and social media. The website presents 22 market versions covering 15 languages, while the mobile site comes in 11 versions to address increased demand for mobile browsing.
Marketing
The board spearheads the promotion of Hong Kong in major tourist source markets and strives to offer the best experiences for visitors. It adopts 'Best of all, it's in Hong Kong' as a destination brand to highlight that, from world-class attractions to the East-meets-West culture, Hong Kong warmly welcomes the world to experience the best it has to offer.
Service Quality
Honest and Quality Tourist Services
The government works closely with the tourism industry and related organisations to promote honest and quality services for tourists. It cooperates with the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong to protect consumers' interests and 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.
The council 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 not satisfied with their purchases to return the goods and seek refunds within 180 days of purchase, provided the goods are in proper condition.
The board's Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme encourages shops, restaurants and visitor accommodation facilities to offer good services. It enjoys broad support; as at end-2018, some 1,246 establishments with about 8,200 outlets and 570 rooms had earned QTS accreditation.
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