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Travel and Tourism

Hong Kong Tourism Board

The board is a statutory government-subvented organisation that markets and promotes Hong Kong round the world as a preferred travel destination. It comprises 20 members who represent various tourism-related sectors and communities. In addition to its Hong Kong head office, the board has 15 offices worldwide and representatives in six source markets.

Information Network

There are six visitor centres locally, at the airport (two centres), The Peak Piazza, Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Concourse, Lo Wu boundary crossing terminal building and Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, whose visitor centre operates during ship calls.

Visitors can check out travel recommendations from locals through the Hong Kong Pals. programme. Travel information is also available from the board through its website, presented in 22 versions using 15 languages, and via its mobile applications and online campaigns on social networking sites. There is also a mobile site with 11 versions to cater for an increased number of clicks via mobile devices.

Marketing

The board spearheads the promotion of Hong Kong in major tourist source markets and strives to offer the best experiences for visitors. It adopts 'Best of all, it's in Hong Kong' as a destination. brand to highlight that, from world-class attractions to the East-meets-West culture, Hong Kong warmly welcomes the world to experience the best it has to offer.

Service Quality

Honest and Quality Tourist Services

The government works closely with the tourism industry and related organisations to promote honest and quality services for tourists. It cooperates with the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong to protect consumers' interests and ensure the healthy development and operation of the tourism market. Laws such as the Trade Descriptions Ordinance are in place to prohibit unfair trade practices and protect the legitimate interests of consumers.

The council inspects tour operations and registered shops regularly. It also operates a Refund Protection Scheme for Registered Shops, which allows Mainland tour group members who are not satisfied with their purchases to return the goods and seek refunds within 180 days of purchase, provided the goods are in proper condition.

The board's Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme encourages shops, restaurants and visitor accommodation facilities to offer good services. It enjoys broad support; as at end-2017, some 1,250 establishments with about 8,000 outlets had earned QTS accreditation.

Hospitality Initiatives

Hospitality is essential to sustaining tourism. The government runs a Hong Kong Young Ambassador Scheme to train young people to be polite and helpful to visitors and to develop a strong hospitality culture in schools and the community. About 250 young people render ambassadorial service on the programme every year.

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