The government on Monday said it wants to nurture and develop tourism by focusing on culture, sports, ecotourism and mega-events, with a view to boost the economy by HK$120 billion and create hundreds of thousands of jobs in five years. In announcing the latest blueprint for the industry, officials said they would promote smart tourism - such as introducing virtual reality elements at tourism attractions - to improve the experience of visitors. Another strategy would be to strengthen the city's appeal in traditional markets like the mainland, while attracting more travellers from the Middle East and Asean countries. The government also wants to attract more visitors who stay overnight instead of only making day trips to the city. In five years, officials want a near 60 percent rise in the value the tourism sector adds to the economy, from last year’s base, to HK$120 billion. Tourism minister Rosanna Law said there was a need to highlight the unique elements of the SAR, such as emphasising the city’s East-meets-West culture to promote tourism. With Hong Kong’s beautiful shoreline, she said, officials would actively look into developing resort projects in the outlying islands. “We will use our different routes to bring more tourists to our coastal landforms, our ecoparks, and also our beautiful seashore area in Sai Kung, and also on Lamma [Island] and Cheung Chau, all these areas, on Lantau," the minister told a press conference. “We will explore with other departments, the possibility of developing larger-scale ecotourism facilities such as hotels, spas or other facilities." Law also said the government plans to promote horse-racing and cruise tourism while enriching some of the city's famous urban walking routes. She said in five years' time, the government expects the sector to have created 210,000 jobs, a more than 40 percent rise from last year's figure. The minister added that regulators would look into changing the tour guide licensing regime, with a view to attract more new talent to the industry. Currently, guides need to obtain a full licence by passing different tests on areas like ecotourism or history, but officials are now considering offering partial licences to aspiring guides. "I’m pleased to hear that the [Travel Industry Authority] is considering a partial licence, so that people with a specific interest could actually focus on their areas of interest. By then, I hope that we’ll be able to attract and facilitate more people joining the tourism workforce," Law said. She said the government would otherwise import workers to the trade through existing labour schemes.
