ENG-2010 — Page 362

304 Travel and Tourism

Thanks to the concerted efforts of the Government, MEHK and the MICE trade, there were 1.43 million overnight MICE visitor arrivals to Hong Kong in 2010, a rise of 22.8 per cent over 2009. Hong Kong was once again selected in 2010 as the 'Best Business City in the World' by a leading MICE journal. Major MICE events held in Hong Kong during the year included Asia Fruit Logistica, Asia Funeral Expo, Asian Seafood Exposition, CARTES in Asia, CineAsia, InfoComm Asia, Mobile Asia Congress and XXVII Collegium Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum World Congress. Also in 2010, Hong Kong won the hosting rights for a number of large-scale MICE events, including SIGGRAPH Asia 2011, Vitafoods Asia 2011, 2012 Junior Chamber International Asia Pacific Conference and 2012 FDI Annual World Dental Congress.

Cruise Tourism

Work on the new cruise terminal project at Kai Tak is progressing at full swing. Construction of the terminal began in November 2009, and the first berth and the terminal building are expected to commence operation in mid-2013. The Government is also working with the Advisory Committee on Cruise Industry on matters such as itinerary development, promotion and manpower training, to develop Hong Kong as a leading regional cruise hub.

The HKTB continues to promote Hong Kong as a 'must' cruise destination, and participate in various cruise industry conferences to drive home this message.

Mega Events

Mega events enrich the travel experience of visitors and add colour and vibrancy to the city. Every year, a number of popular and established events are held in Hong Kong, such as the Rugby Sevens and Hong Kong Marathon. To further promote Hong Kong as an events capital of Asia, the Government set up a $100 million. 'Mega Events Fund' in 2009 to sponsor non-profit-making organisations to stage large-scale arts, cultural and sports events in the following three years. So far, 13 events have been approved for funding amounting to $45 million. These large-scale events, including international dragon boat races-cum-carnival, multimedia art exhibition and international tennis tournament, are expected to draw some 580 000 participants. By the end of 2010, seven of them had taken place, attracting 340 000 participants, including 78 000 visitors.

In addition, the HKTB organised a number of mega events to attract visitors to the city. These include the annual International Chinese New Year Parade in February, the Cultural Celebrations featuring four traditional Chinese festivals in May, the Hong Kong Summer Spectacular in July and August, the Halloween Treats in October, the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival from October 28 to 31, and the Hong Kong WinterFest and the New Year Countdown Celebrations in December.

Green Tourism

In November, the HKTB organised the 'Great Outdoors Hong Kong!' for the second consecutive year. The programme takes visitors on walks along different sections of Hong Kong's longest hiking track, the MacLehose Trail. Guided tours are provided free of charge and participants are given a guidebook containing pictures of the trail's scenic spots.