HK has capacity to welcome more tourists
January 17, 2014
Hong Kong has the capacity to receive the more than 70 million visitor arrivals expected annually from 2017, Secretary for Commerce & Economic Development Gregory So says.
Speaking at a press conference on 2014 Policy Address initiatives under his bureau's purview today, Mr So said a recently completed Government assessment suggests the city can handle those tourists, although hotel rooms will be in tight supply.
The number of hotel rooms in the city is expected to increase from the current 68,000 to 84,000 in 2017, he said, adding the Government would take steps to increase this number.
"Given Hong Kong is small and densely populated, we cannot afford to put all our precious land resources into developing tourism facilities. We will therefore make good use of our resources to attract visitors belonging to the high value-added segments to visit Hong Kong," Mr So said, adding these include visitors coming to the city for meetings and exhibitions.
"The Government spares no effort in ensuring that people's livelihood will not be much affected by the growth in visitor arrivals."
The goal, he said, is to attract Mainland visitors in an appropriate and orderly manner, based on Hong Kong’s economic and social situation.
