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New Convention Bookings Confirm HK's Long-term Appeal to Visitors
Hong Kong was successful last month in winning five bids to host large-scale international conventions between next year and 2010, proving the city's long- term appeal to international visitors, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said Sunday.
The September 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S. will surely bring short-term pains to the Hong Kong tourism industry, which makes it all the more important for the HKTB to set up the efforts to attract high-yield convention and exhibition business, said Clara Chong, the HKTB's executive director.
The winning of the five new bids will bring a potential further 12,000 high-spending visitors to Hong Kong and bring to more than 120 the number of conventions and corporate meetings already booked to Hong Kong in the next nine years, Chong said. The total number of delegates involved is expected to exceed 115,000.
One of the latest organizers to confirm is Unicity Network, a major U.S.-based nutritional supplement and personal care products company, whose executives are currently in Hong Kong to conduct site inspections and finalize details of their 2002 global convention in Hong Kong.
Other major events recently confirmed to the HKTB include a 2, 300-delegate leadership seminar from the Japan arm of Amway International, a U.S. direct sales company, in May 2003; an international dentistry congress set to attract 600 to 800 visitors in 2007; and a world congress for up to 600 leisure and recreation administrators in 2010.
Chong emphasized after meeting the Unicity officials on Sunday that "the fact that convention organizers are continuing to commit to new events several years ahead indicates that Hong Kong's long- term prospects remain very solid."
None of the fundamentals that make Hong Kong one of the world's most popular convention destinations, in particular its reputation as a business-friendly venue, has changed, Chong said.
"Indeed, they are going to get better in the coming years as we have many new attractions coming on stream," she noted.
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