HKTB Annual Tourism Overview Concludes Successfully 1,200+ Participants Jointly Explore the Diverse Opportunities and Shape a New Future for Hong Kong Tourism

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) held its annual mega trade seminar “Hong Kong Tourism Overview 2025” yesterday (20 March) in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre to share the latest tourism trends and HKTB’s upcoming work plan with more than 1,200 representatives from local travel agents, attractions, hotels, airlines, retailers, F&B, the MICE and cruise sectors, and tourism students at local tertiary education institutes. 

The Tourism Overview of the year was themed “partnering for success, shaping the future”. Ms Rosanna Law, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, said in her opening remarks, “Tourism has been a cornerstone of Hong Kong’s economy all along.  We will vigorously press ahead the implementation of the ‘Development Blueprint for Hong Kong’s Tourism 2.0’ to consolidate Hong Kong’s position as a world-class premier tourism destination and achieve the mission of ‘Tourism is Everywhere’. To this end, I am delighted today to share with the trade three key messages which form the bases of the Blueprint 2.0.  The first is that Hong Kong is an international tourist city with the advantage of being backed by the motherland. The entire tourism industry must strategically utilise the supportive measures of the Central People’s Government to maximise the benefits for Hong Kong as a whole.  Second, Hong Kong has traditional tourism advantages.  We must continue to fortify these traditional assets, and at the same time unleash our creativity and develop products that will captivate the hearts of visitors. Third, we advocate the concept of ‘Everyone is a tourism ambassador’ and encourage the trade and members of the public to welcome every visitor with a warm and friendly smile, and go an extra mile in promoting the spirit of hospitality.  I look forward to working together with the trade to bring Hong Kong tourism to new heights.” 

HKTB Chairman Dr Pang Yiu-kai said in his welcoming remarks, “The tourism and related sectors have demonstrated resilience, flexibility and creativity in the face of many challenges. From encouraging the public to be their own visitors during the pandemic to reopening the doors to global travel, the HKTB has been working with trade partners to seize the opportunities for change and innovation, develop new tourism products, encouraged visitors to explore our time-tested tourism appeal, provided quality services, and responded proactively to the new travel trends emerging in Hong Kong and the rest of the world. It has been an immense honour to work alongside with the tourism industry. I look forward to HKTB’s continued close collaboration with the travel trade and related sectors, so that together we can turn challenges into business opportunities and go even further in establishing Hong Kong as a premier travel destination.”  

Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Ms Rosanna Law delivers the keynote speech.	Opening remarks by HKTB Chairman Dr Pang Yiu-kai.

HKTB Executive Director Mr Dane Cheng, reviewed the performance of Hong Kong’s tourism industry in the past year and looked ahead to the industry outlook for the rest of 2025. He also shared HKTB’s work plan and key strategies for the coming year, including launching thematic promotions by bundling mega events with always-on experiences throughout the year; developing diversified and potential markets and segments; and working more closely with the travel trade to showcase Hong Kong’s tourism appeal globally and enhance service quality. Mr Cheng also noted that HKTB will launch smart tourism tools to enhance the visitor experience while enabling the travel trade to leverage the promotions to develop more tourism products, thereby creating new business opportunities. 

Mr Dane Cheng, HKTB Executive Director, shares the Board’s work plan for the coming year.

HKTB also invited Ms Cissy Chan, Executive Director, Commercial, Airport Authority Hong Kong, and Dr Simon Baptist, Principal Economist for APAC, Visa, to share their insights on the topics “From City Airport to Airport City – SKYTOPIA” and “Tourism in Motion: Asia Pacific’s Travel Trends in a New Shift in Consumer Behaviour”, respectively, inspiring our trade partners on the future direction of tourism development. 

Ms Cissy Chan, Executive Director, Commercial, Airport Authority Hong Kong, shares Hong Kong’s vision for developing an airport city.	Dr Simon Baptist, Principal Economist for APAC, Visa, analyses tourism spending trends in the APAC region.

Representatives from HKTB’s Worldwide Offices also exchanged views with the local travel trade, sharing their insights on the development of various markets and their future work focuses. 

Representatives from HKTB’s Worldwide Offices exchange views with the local travel trade.