Latest news with #FragrantHillsTourismSummit
South China Morning Post
18-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Surge in Chinese visitors in Bogotá, says Colombian tourism official in Hong Kong
Bogotá has seen a 20-fold surge in the number of Chinese tourists, highlighting a growing connection between countries fuelled by expanding commercial relationships, the Colombian capital's tourism chief has said at a Hong Kong industry summit. Advertisement Speaking to the Post on the sidelines of the Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit in the city earlier this week, Bogotá's Director of Tourism Andrés Santamaría Garrido said the capital had seen substantial growth in Chinese visitor numbers, and he was actively promoting it to Hong Kong travellers as an emerging South American destination. 'I think we got more than 20,000 [Chinese visitors] last year, but three to five years ago, no more than 1,000 [annually],' he said. Garrido attributed the increase partly to the deepening commercial ties between Colombia and China. 'Because we now have a lot of projects with Chinese companies so I think [this] helps,' he explained, citing the involvement of Chinese firms in major infrastructure projects such as the Bogotá metro. Advertisement For travellers from Hong Kong, visa-free entry to Colombia already exists, a factor Garrido considered advantageous.
South China Morning Post
15-04-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Trade war won't impact Hong Kong's role as global hub for commerce: John Lee
Hong Kong's role as a major global centre for commerce remains unchanged amid a trade war, the chief executive told hundreds of tourism leaders on Tuesday as the city played host to one of the largest Chinese tourism summits. Advertisement In his opening speech at the 2025 World Tourism Cities Federation Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu affirmed that Hong Kong would continue to be a 'major global trading centre' and 'a centre of free trade'. 'That's thanks … to the Hong Kong port in our harbour, to the Hong Kong International Airport, and to our varied and seamless transport links to China, our country,' he told a room of 800 tourism leaders. 'These seamless links, and our singular status as the city where East has long met West, are not going to change. 'In a world beset by trade woes and geopolitical crises, Hong Kong is determined to continue its dedication to free and open trade. Advertisement 'This was what also allowed Hong Kong to become 'one of the world's greatest centres for tourism.''
