Hong Kong Tourism Board to launch 12-mln-HKD plan to attract visitors

The Hong Kong Tourism Board will launch a 12-million-HK dollars ($1.53-million) campaign to attract visitors to spend more time in Hong Kong, according to local media on Wednesday.

Anthony Lau, the board's executive director, said when attending a radio broadcast program that they are hoping to get tourists to spend more time once they arrive in Hong Kong.

Transit passengers who spend more than six hours in Hong Kong can enjoy a free ride to town center on Airport Express and discounted tickets to attractions like Disneyland and the Ngong Ping 360 cable car.

As for visitors who stay in Hong Kong for more than three days, they will be given free day-tour packages, open-top bus tours and peak tram tickets.

The board's latest figures showed that the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong went up 2.4 percent in the first seven months of the year, but the number of Indian tourists dropped 20 percent, which is mainly due to a new pre-arrival registration requirement for them.

Lau said that they want to tap new markets and cruise operators to reach out to the Indian market.