Hong Kong eyes 60-percent tourism growth by 2029 in new blueprint

HONG KONG -- China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) aims to boost the value added generated by tourism to HK$120 billion ($15.46 billion) by 2029, up from HK$75.3 billion in 2023, said a blueprint released by the HKSAR government on Monday.

The city expects the industry to employ 210,000 people in 2029, up from 145,600 in 2023, according to the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry 2.0 (Blueprint 2.0) covering the upcoming five years through 2029.

As one of the four strategies listed in the document to help achieve the goals, Hong Kong will develop a diversified portfolio of visitor source markets for Hong Kong, with a focus on attracting high value-added overnight visitors.

The city will also promote smart tourism, nurture and develop tourism products, as well as enhance the service quality and support of the tourism industry on all fronts. The four strategies cover a total of 133 measures.

The tourism industry involves various sections of services, and the all-round industry development depends on the support and participation of the entire community, said Rosanna Law, secretary for culture, sports and tourism of the HKSAR government, while unveiling the blueprint on Monday.

She called on Hong Kong residents to establish an "everyone is a tourism ambassador" awareness and to receive every visitor with enthusiasm and friendliness.