ENG-2006 — Page 371

Travel and Tourism | 303

Easier Visitor Entry

The Individual Visit Scheme, introduced by the Mainland authorities to allow residents to visit Hong Kong in a personal capacity, has been well received since its implementation. More than 6.67 million mainlanders visited Hong Kong under the scheme in 2006, which was extended to cover 44 cities during the year, including all cities in Guangdong province, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Tianjian, Chengdu, Jinan, Dalian, Shenyang, Changsha, Nanchang, Nanning, Kunming, Guiyang, Haikou and nine cities in Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces. The Tourism Commission, in collaboration with different government departments and the tourism industry, drew up measures to cope with the upsurge of Mainland visitors, especially during the 'Golden Week' holidays. The measures have demonstrated that Hong Kong is capable of receiving a large number of visitors during peak holiday seasons.

Hong Kong Tourism Board

The Hong Kong Tourism Board is a subvented organisation responsible for marketing and promoting Hong Kong around the world as a preferred destination for leisure and business. The HKTB board of directors consists of 20 members representing a broad spectrum of tourism-related interests. It works from a head office in Hong Kong and has 15 other offices and six representative offices across the world.

Through its marketing activities, the HKTB reinforces Hong Kong's status as a world-class city and Asia's most popular tourist destination. It strives not only to attract more visitors to Hong Kong by promoting the city's unique diversity and sophistication, but also to make their visits more enjoyable so that they might stay longer.

The HKTB commissions extensive market studies to assess industry trends, perceptions of Hong Kong overseas and feedback from visitors. It shares information with the Government and with its industry partners to help the industry meet tourist demands more effectively and to make capital of new business opportunities.

A wide range of marketing strategies is employed to win business from different markets. The HKTB also works closely with its overseas counterparts to develop attractive tourism products. The HKTB organised study trips to Hong Kong for more than 1 400 international media representatives and about 2 400 representatives of the travel trade in 2006.

The HKTB has joined forces with other tourism offices, particularly those on the Mainland and around Asia to take advantage of the growing trend in multi-destination visits, especially by long-haul travellers, by offering them attractive multi-destination itineraries featuring Hong Kong as part of the tour.

Information Network

The HKTB operates two Visitor Information and Services Centres in Hong Kong, one on Hong Kong Island and the other in Kowloon, as well as information counters at the Hong Kong International Airport and Lo Wu boundary. In 2006, these centres assisted 1.6 million visitors, distributed 11.6 million leaflets and other visitor