HKTB Introduces New “Hong Kong Pals” Team with More Than 100 Volunteers after Record High Applications; Volunteers to Offer Hospitality alongside Professional Visitor Service Specialists

The frontline visitor service team of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is made up of professional visitor service specialists supported by a group of volunteers “Hong Kong Pals”. In 2023/24, the team provided travel advice to more than two million visitors and resolved more than 2.3 million inquiries. The HKTB has now completed a new round of recruitment for “Hong Kong Pals” and formed its biggest ever team of volunteers.

Record number of volunteer applications received

The recruitment campaign this year drew the largest ever number of applications with 440 applicants. After a selection process, 48 new volunteers were recruited to join the biggest ever team of “Hong Kong Pals”, numbering more than 100 including existing members. The record level of applications shows that Hong Kong’s local public are keener than ever to share their love for Hong Kong with visitors from around the world. The response followed visits by the HKTB to tertiary education institutes and universities to promote the volunteer programme and encourage more young people to sign up.

Holistic training from hospitality experts

The new recruits of “Hong Kong Pals” include volunteers ranging from university students and new graduates to lawyers, engineers, teachers and lecturers, civil servants, and people from a host of different professions. From August to October, HKTB will provide volunteers with training in communications, itinerary planning, and photography, and invite them to join workshops and guided tours to ensure they are ready to serve confidently in a spirit of hospitality.

HKTB General Manager for Corporate Affairs Ms Alice Li said, “The ‘Hong Kong Pals’ volunteer programme gathers enthusiastic locals from all walks of life. With their knowledge and skills acquired from 2 different areas, the volunteers can work on the frontline with HKTB’s multi-award-winning visitor service team to offer timely, customised travel advice from a local’s point of view, showcasing Hong Kong’s unique spirit of hospitality.”

New Hong Kong Pals team to go into action from November

Left to right: new “Hong Kong Pals” Melody, Kenny and Leonard

Melody, who studied hotel management at university and now works for a non-profit organisation, believes becoming a volunteer is an opportunity to realise her own self-worth and to grow as a person. She expects the experience to enrich her life and contribute to her passion and professionalism in Hong Kong tourism industry.

Kenny, a management grade professional in a financial and information technology company who returned to Hong Kong from the United States, re-applied for the “Hong Kong Pals” programme after five years and became one of the members after the selection. He hopes to learn more about Hong Kong through his participation in the programme, and looks forward to the professional training arranged by HKTB, so that he can make use of what he learns in welcoming tourists in the future.

Leonard, who speaks fluent Korean and works in the finance industry, hopes that by joining the “Hong Kong Pals” team he can show visitors the authentic side of Hong Kong and make their visits to the city even more memorable.

Forming the strongest frontline team with HKTB specialists to serve with hospitality

The “Hong Kong Pals” volunteer programme was launched in 2009 and has recruited more than 100 volunteers, including students, management professionals, teachers and lecturers, medics, civil servants, and people from many other professions. Since the programme’s launch, “Hong Kong Pals” team members have given more than 70,000 hours of voluntary service, contributing more than 70,000 hours of services and serving more than 100,000 visitors.

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