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Chapter 15

Travel and Tourism

Hong Kong's tourism industry had a great year in 2011, with a record of almost 42 million visitors. New attractions at Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland were opened, which further enriched the city's tourism portfolio. The Government also announced that an independent statutory body be established to regulate the tourism industry.

Hong Kong's tourism industry performed particularly well in 2011, registering a record high of 41.92 million visitor arrivals, or 16.4 per cent over 2010.

The Mainland continued to be the largest source of visitors. A total of 28.1 million people from the Mainland visited Hong Kong in 2011, or 23.9 per cent up on 2010. There was also a notable rise in the number of visitors from countries farther away like Russia (+51.5%) and South America (+17.7%) and, nearer home, South Korea (+14.6%).

Major Tourism Developments

While work on boosting family and business travels continued, special effort was made to promote MICE (Meetings, Incentive travels, Conventions and Exhibitions), cruise tourism, mega events and green tourism.

MICE

Hong Kong is a premier MICE destination, offering world-class convention and exhibition facilities and a wide range of tourist attractions. The Government has earmarked $150 million for promoting MICE tourism over five years, an initiative. carried out by the 'Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong', a dedicated office, established under the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) in 2008.

There were 1.56 million overnight MICE visitors to Hong Kong in 2011, a rise of 9.3 per cent over 2010. Hong Kong was selected as the 'Best Business City in the World' by a leading MICE journal for three consecutive years since 2009. Hong Kong hosts some of the world's largest trade fairs, such as the Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Autumn Edition), the Hong Kong Gifts and Premium Fair, and the Hong Kong Watch and Clock Fair.

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