ENG-2013 — Page 371

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Travel and Tourism

Society of Paediatric Oncology, 59th World Statistics Congress of the International Statistical Institute and Wikimania 2013. Major events to be staged in Hong Kong in the coming years include International Trademark Association Annual Meeting 2014, China New Energy Vehicle, International Congress of Cognitive Psychotherapy 2014, 2nd Asia Pacific Glaucoma Congress. 2014, World Glaucoma Congress 2015, World Congress of Anaesthesiologists 2016, 38th Asia Pacific Dental Congress 2016 and CFA Institute Annual Conference 2017.

Cruise Tourism

The first berth of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal started to receive cruise liners in June, with the second berth due for completion in 2014. The terminal received nine ship calls in 2013 and the number is expected to increase to 26 in 2014.

The China National Tourism Administration announced in August the implementation details of the measure promulgated by the Central People's Government in June 2012 that Mainland tour groups taking cruises from Hong Kong to Taiwan can also visit Japan or Korea on the same cruise, enabling cruise operators to offer more attractive itineraries.

Mega Events

In recognition of the fact that large-scale events enrich visitors' travel experience and add colour and vibrancy to the city, the government established the Mega Events Fund (MEF) in 2009 to encourage the staging of such events in Hong Kong. In April 2012, the Legislative Council's Finance Committee approved $150 million to fund the MEF for a further five years to attract more mega events to Hong Kong. Since its establishment, the MEF has provided funds. to 23 events.

In 2013, the HKTB organised a number of mega events to attract visitors to the city, including the International Chinese New Year Parade; the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival; the Hong Kong Mid-Autumn Festival; the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival; the Hong Kong WinterFest; and the New Year Countdown Celebrations.

Green Tourism

In November, the HKTB organised the 'Great Outdoors Hong Kong' programme for the fifth year, which took visitors on a number of Hong Kong's hiking trails and cycling routes. Guided hiking and cycling tours are provided and participants are given a guidebook to these trails, the Hong Kong Global Geopark of China, and the outlying islands.

Tourism Infrastructure, Facilities and Products

Hong Kong offers a wide range of attractions to visitors. There is something for everyone - the sightseer, the food lover, the shopper, the family, the businessman, the leisure traveller, the young and the old. The most popular spot for sightseers is the Peak, which provides a panoramic view of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and Victoria Harbour. Other popular attractions include the theme parks, temples, heritage sites, natural landscape, and the numerous shops that have earned Hong Kong the reputation as a 'shoppers' paradise'

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