HKTB launches 'Hong Kong Welcomes You!' campaign

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) officially launched the Hong Kong Welcomes You! promotion yesterday. Visitors arriving at the airport and various entry points are presented with a "Welcome Pack", which contains a Welcome Passport and Hong Kong travel guides. Applauding the campaign, the tourism industry has offered the HKTB its wide support to deliver information about the campaign to visitors.

HKTB Executive Director Ms Clara Chong announced that as at today, a total of 20 hotels and two airline companies have joined the HKTB's efforts to publicise the Hong Kong Welcomes You! promotion to visitors.

"We are especially delighted to receive the assistance of Cathay Pacific Airways and Dragonair in announcing Hong Kong Welcomes You! and the Welcome Passport on board incoming flights. Starting this week, the  Welcome Pack will also be available in 20 hotels in Hong Kong and we will continue to encourage more hotels to join us in distributing it," Ms Chong said.

Ms Chong explained that the HKTB has sent copies of the Welcome Passport to its worldwide offices for distribution by travel trade partners so that visitors are aware of the discounts and privileges in advance of their trips.

The HKTB plans to promote the offers in different markets through a series of advertising and marketing campaigns. 

In Hong Kong, upon visitors' arrival at the airport, they are immediately greeted by a Hong Kong Welcomes You! advertisement and a welcome banner. To deliver the Welcome Pack to visitors, the HKTB has stationed more than 30 staff at various prominent locations inside Hong Kong International Airport's restricted area including the transit hall, immigration and luggage reclaim areas, as well as the HKTB Visitor Information and Services Centres at the airport. HKTB staff will be on duty from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm, during which 95% of all inbound flights arrive. Furthermore, visitors can obtain the information from the Visitor Information & Services Centres located at Central District and the Star Ferry Pier in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The HKTB and its worldwide offices have been laying the groundwork for the Hong Kong Welcomes You! promotion since June 2003 by enlisting the support of airlines and other sectors of the travel trade to provide discounts and privileges to lure visitors back to the city. In Hong Kong, the HKTB has been hard at work encouraging various sectors of the travel industry to offer special discounts at dining, entertainment and shopping outlets so as to enrich visitors' experience and make their visits better value for money.

"The objectives of our Welcome Passport are to  create a business development platform for the travel trade and boost visitor spending in Hong Kong," Ms Chong remarked.

She added that the HKTB is actively preparing for the "Welcome Day" events, at which some 3,000 guests comprising visitors, travel trade leaders and media representatives will be invited to visit Hong Kong to create unprecedented publicity for the city.

"Our initial estimates indicate that there will be more than 720,000 visitors in June 2003 and we believe that the July performance will even be better. We are confident that the two-month Hong Kong Welcomes You! promotion will attract two million visitors to Hong Kong," Ms Chong said.