| HKTB marks 50 years |
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HONG KONG – The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will roll out a series of events to celebrate its 50th anniversary nextmonth when newly-appointed executive director, Mr Anthony Lau, also officially assumes his post.
The 50 Years of Tourism: Creating Milestones Together programme will be a concerted effort by 13 tourism-related organisations to review the industry’s past challenges and successes. Involving sectors such as airlines, tourist guides, inbound travel agencies and hotels, the organising committee is chaired by Hong Kong Hotels Association, executive director, Mr James Lu.
HKTB chairman and organising committee advisor, Mr James Tien, recalled: “The development of our tourism industry over the past 50 years has been remarkable. Fifty years ago, we welcomed just 50,000 visitors a year, a number we now exceed in a single day.”
The 50th anniversary programme will take place until December. This includes roving exhibitions showcasing Hong Kong’s tourism development through the years and the evolution of its top 10 attractions, rotated in the Hong Kong Museum of History, major shopping malls and tourist areas.
A dedicated website will be operational from August 3 and a public seminar, photographic competitions and video presentations by university students will be held. The public seminar is scheduled for 14.00 to 17.00 on August 11 in the Museum of History. The board has also invited two academics specialising in local tourism history, Dr Sidney Cheung and Mr Shum Si, to speak. The seminar can accommodate a maximum 130 people on a first-come-first-served basis on the day of event. It will be conducted in Cantonese only.
The celebrations will cost US$150,000 and besides enhancing the local public’s understanding of Hong Kong’s tourism industry, will reach out to key overseas travel trade partners. They will be invited to join a celebration dinner in October.
Familiarisation tours are also being planned around the anniversary events from August to December.
Asked to comment on what he would like to see of the board going forward, P&L Travel managing director, Mr Spy Yeung, said he would like to see HKTB’s organisation structure simplified.
“As a semi-government organisation, the board has a clumsy structure and spends hefty resources on overseas promotion. In fact, this can be outsourced and it should take up a supervisory role. Moreover, more attention needs to be spent on attracting international visitors as the longhaul markets show sluggish growth compared to the ever-rising Chinese market.”
HKTB major milestones
• 1957: The Hong Kong Tourism Association (HKTA) was established.
• 1959: A 21-minute promotional film by HKTA, A Million Lights Shall Glow, was commissioned for screening in cinemas and at exhibitions. Two years later, it won the Grand Prix for travel films at the Cannes Film Festival.
• 1996: HKTA launched the first International Chinese New Year Parade and associated promotions, which helped turn the traditionally low season into one of the peak travel seasons.
• 1999: The Quality Tourism Service Scheme was launched with an initial membership of about 100 merchants. It has now grown to more than 6,400.
• 2001: HKTA was reconstituted as the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB).
• 2003: HKTB embarked on a Global Tourism Revival Campaign following the delisting of Hong Kong from the
SARS-affected area list. With the help of the trade, it saw a V-shaped rebound in the second half of the year.
• 2006: HKTB launched the Discover Hong Kong Year global marketing campaign. Leveraging on the opening of new tourism infrastructure, the HKTB implemented a series of promotions to trade and consumers worldwide to strengthen Hong Kong's position as a must-visit destination in itineraries to Asia or China. |
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【2007-7-23 16:11:47】 |
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