ENG-2017 — Page 368

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Travel and Tourism

In 2017, 1.93 million overnight MICE visitors arrived, an increase of 1.9 per cent over 2016. Major conventions and exhibitions included the food and hospitality trade show HOFEX, IFX Expo Asia, CardioRhythm, 23rd International Conference on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Critical Communications World, World Recycling Convention and Exhibition, Cloud Expo Asia, World Sustainable Built Environment Conference, 25th Asian and Oceanic Congress of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Intelligent Transportation Systems Asia-Pacific Forum, Hong Kong International Dental Expo And Symposium, 15th Urological Association of Asia Congress, 46th International Congress and Exposition on Noise Control Engineering, Rhinology World Congress - Hong Kong and Asian Pacific Digestive Week.

Cruise Tourism

The Kai Tak Cruise Terminal can simultaneously accommodate two mega cruise ships with a gross tonnage of up to 220,000 tons each. In 2017, the terminal handled 186 ship calls involving 161 calendar days. Total passenger throughput exceeded 780,000.

The government and the board promote regional cooperation of the cruise industry through different channels, including the Asia Cruise Cooperation, which leverages the synergy among the partnering ports via an incentive scheme named Asia Cruise Fund; joint promotion events and participation in major industry events, so as to drive ship deployment to Hong Kong and foster the city's position as a regional cruise hub.

Mega Events

A new multi-pronged strategy, adopted in 2017-18, is to support the staging of events varying in scale and nature in Hong Kong, to tie in with the policy objectives of product diversification and attracting high-yield overnight visitors. Different international events were hosted, including the FIA Formula E Hong Kong E-Prix, which was held successfully at the Central Harbourfront in December and drew more high-spending overnight visitors to Hong Kong.

Mega events organised by the board in 2017 included the International Chinese New Year Parade, Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival, E-Sports and Music Festival Hong Kong, Hong Kong Pulse Light Show, Hong Kong Cyclothon, Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival, Hong Kong WinterFest and New Year countdown celebrations.

Green Tourism

The Great Outdoors Hong Kong campaign promotes the Hong Kong Global Geopark of China, the natural scenery of outlying islands, hiking trails, cycling routes and other green attractions via the board's website, guidebooks, mobile applications, social media platforms, visitor centres and a hotline. In 2017-18, a pilot scheme was launched to further support the travel trade in promoting in-depth green tourism.

Tourism Infrastructure, Facilities and Products

Hong Kong has something for everyone - the sightseer, the food lover, the shopper, the family, the businessman, the leisure traveller, the young and the old. Topping the popularity list of sightseeing spots is The Peak, which provides a panoramic view of Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and Victoria Harbour. Other attractions include theme parks, temples,

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