Latest news with #PeterLam
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong ramps up effort to attract mainland concertgoers for longer stays
Hong Kong is actively seeking to entice mainland Chinese visitors with concert and hotel packages, the tourism minister has said, amid concerns about tourists not staying longer and overcrowded border facilities. Advertisement Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui said on Saturday that authorities would do more to attract tourists to stay overnight or for longer periods in the city, such as by offering concert deals, hotel packages and discounts on other offerings. 'From a tourism perspective, it's definitely best if we can attract them to stay overnight, perhaps for an extra day or even half a day,' she told a radio programme. 'If there are integrated concert-and-hotel packages with attractive hotel pricing, tourists may stay longer and there is a great potential for growth in this area.' Tourism minister Rosanna Law says authorities will do more to attract tourists to stay overnight. Photo: Edmond So Law made her remarks a day after Peter Lam Kin-ngok, chairman of Hong Kong Tourism Board, questioned whether the government's arrangements for concertgoers were adequate as they were only transported to the border amid a successful series of events, including British band Coldplay and Cantopop star Nicholas Tse, in the Kai Tak Stadium that drew tens of thousands of visitors. Advertisement
South China Morning Post
3 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hong Kong hoping ‘Summer Viva' campaign will make tourists extend stays
The Hong Kong Tourism Board will ramp up efforts to encourage family and business visitors to extend their stay in the city by promoting diverse travel experiences, the body's new chief has said. Advertisement Board chairman Peter Lam Kin-ngok said on Friday that Hong Kong could no longer rely on past glories by only promoting itself as a food and shopping paradise and should capitalise on the increased number of tourists and opportunities brought by the current geopolitical situation. 'Hong Kong is safe for family tourism. You don't find any other places like Hong Kong, safe and convenient with multiple choices for your choosing,' Lam, whose tenure started in April, said. Hong Kong welcomed 12.2 million arrivals in the first quarter of 2025, a 9 per cent year-on-year increase, the largest quarterly growth since travel resumed after the Covid-19 pandemic. Arrivals plummeted by 94 per cent year on year to 3.57 million in 2020 as the pandemic struck, compounding an already sharp decline seen from months of social unrest, with daily visitor numbers falling from 200,000 in the first half of 2019 to below 3,000 in February 2020. Advertisement 'My biggest challenge as the new chairman is I don't blindly just chase visitor arrival numbers, more important is the quality. And one big challenge is how to keep the tourists to stay in Hong Kong longer,' Lam said, adding that currently tourists stayed for an average of 3.2 nights.
RTHK
07-05-2025
- Business
- RTHK
More Middle East buyers are coming to HK, says TDC
More Middle East buyers are coming to HK, says TDC Peter Lam says the TDC's offices in Dubai and Riyadh have been helping Hong Kong firms connect with businesses over there. Photo: RTHK The Trade Development Council (TDC) said it has been working non-stop to foster trade between Hong Kong and the Middle East, noting that firms from both regions are keen to diversify portfolios and seek new areas of growth. Council chairman Peter Lam will be visiting Qatar and Kuwait this weekend as part of a 50-strong delegation led by Chief Executive John Lee aimed at exploring investment opportunities. Lam was also on the government-led delegation to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in 2023. "Since that trip, the TDC's work has never stopped, as we continued to organise exhibitions and conferences," he told RTHK in an interview. "During the Belt and Road Summit as well as the Asian Financial Forum, we hosted dedicated sessions to help Hong Kong enterprises connect with their Middle Eastern counterparts." Lam said he was fully confident about the SAR's future cooperative efforts with the Middle East, noting that there had been a significant increase in the number of buyers and participants from the region at TDC trade shows. Hong Kong startups, on the other hand, can utilise their expertise in innovation and technology, smart city development and green energy, he said. The TDC's offices in Dubai and Riyadh will continue to provide assistance for SAR firms wishing to establish a foothold in the Middle East and North African region, Lam promised. A businessman himself, Lam is concluding his six-year stint as TDC chairman at the end of this month. Looking back, he was pleased with the SAR's solid progress after Covid-19. "For the past few years, Hong Kong has recorded growth not just in the number of exhibitions but also attendees," Lam said, adding that he's learnt a lot during his time with the statutory body.
