Chapter 15
Travel and Tourism
By not resting on its laurels, Hong Kong has continued to be a compelling tourist destination. By keeping abreast of changing trends and by continually adding to and enhancing its infrastructure, services and many attractions, Hong Kong continues to live up to its reputation as a great place to visit for business or leisure.
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Tourism is one of Hong Kong's major economic pillars. The industry performed strongly in 2007, with the number of arrivals soaring to a record high of 28.17 million, an increase of 11.6 per cent year-on-year. Arrivals from Mainland China chalked up a double-digit growth of 13.9 per cent, bringing the total to 15.49 million. The year also saw increases in arrivals from long-haul and short-haul markets.
The average hotel occupancy rate was 86 per cent in 2007. The number of room-nights rose by 9.3 per cent following an additional supply of some 4 400 rooms during the year.
The future looks bright. The wide range of attractions has helped position Hong Kong as a must-visit city. Popular attractions include The Peak, which provides a spectacular bird's eye view of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, two theme parks (Hong Kong Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland), the Guinness World Record- winning nightly light and sound show called 'A Symphony of Lights', the Hong Kong Wetland Park, and the Ngong Ping 360 cable car ride to a cultural and religious village at the foot of the majestic Tian Tan Buddha, the world's largest seated outdoor bronze Buddha statue at Po Lin Monastery, to name a few. The Government continues to develop Hong Kong's tourism infrastructure to maintain its position as a preferred tourist destination. New projects in the pipeline include the Ocean Park redevelopment plan and a world-class cruise terminal complete with state-of-the-art facilities.
Tourism Infrastructure, Facilities and Products
Ocean Park is being redeveloped as a world-class marine-themed park, featuring more than 70 attractions. The project is being implemented in eight phases between now and 2012-13, with new attractions to be introduced at each phase. The first to
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