Chief Executive John Lee

Welcome to Hong Kong, and to the 2025 World Tourism Cities Federation Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit.

Fragrant Hills, as you would all know, is a scenic area in Beijing, where the World Tourism Cities Federation is headquartered. "Fragrant hills" also makes me think of Hong Kong as a "fragrant harbour" – the Chinese name of Hong Kong can literally be translated as "fragrant harbour".

"Fragrant", let me add, because of Hong Kong’s redolent history as a major trader for incense, particularly agarwood incense and the wood’s varied byproducts.

Over the centuries, the sweet aroma of agarwood, of incense, drifted from harbour to city – and all around the world. From incense and fragrance, to merchandise and capital, Hong Kong has always been a bridge between cultures, cities and continents, bringing out the best of our products on the global arena.

Today, Hong Kong remains a major global trading centre, a centre of free trade. That's thanks too, to the Hong Kong Port in our harbour, to Hong Kong International Airport, and to our varied and seamless transport links to China, our country.

These seamless links, and our singular status as the city where East has long met West, are not going to change. In a world beset by trade woes and geopolitical crises, Hong Kong is determined to continue its dedication to free and open trade.

That has also led us to become one of the world’s greatest centres for tourism. So it is an honour that the World Tourism Cities Federation has chosen Hong Kong for this year’s Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit. The federation, after all, is the world’s first international tourism organisation to focus its mission and mandate on cities.

Not surprising, then, that this summit welcomes city mayors, vice mayors and other city officials and delegations from over 40 cities from the Mainland and around the world. Together, we embody the spirit of collaboration beyond geographical boundaries. Together, we unite for the future of tourism.

HK as a brand

The theme of this year’s summit, "Innovate City Branding to Elevate Tourism Excellence", gives us a good start to discuss how our cities could, through collaboration, achieve high-quality development in tourism and more.

For Hong Kong, long an international metropolis, one key development opportunity certainly comes from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

This cluster city development brings together Hong Kong, Macau and nine southern cities in the Guangdong province, and boasts a population of over 86 million. It also has a combined GDP (Gross Domestic Product) that rivals that of the world’s 10th largest economy.

What it means is a consumer market, and source of tourists, that is over 10 times as large as our own city. What it also means, with our country’s facilitation measures for travellers, is that visitors who choose to visit this part of the world have many more cities to add to their itinerary. We are fast developing in multi-destination tourism for an interconnected world. From a six-day visa for visitors in tour groups led by a Hong Kong travel agent, to the visa-free policy for cruise ship travellers along the country's coastline.

That said, you can well begin in Hong Kong, where there's something happening everywhere you look – and at our Victoria Harbour. You need only to see for yourself how open, welcoming and endlessly amazing our city is, to a world of tourism – to you.

Start with Victoria Harbour, and enjoy the refreshing views with our skyline and green hills rising from both sides of the harbour. And do take the Star Ferry. For more than a century, it's been one of the world’s most unforgettable harbour passages. Leisure travel, timeless memories – in Hong Kong – and for well under US$1 a trip. It's really good value for money.

Hong Kong, after all, is the world’s mega event city. Last week, UK band Coldplay performed four sold-out concerts at our brand-new, state-of-the-art Kai Tak Sports Park. And through next Monday, it's the 49th Hong Kong International Film Festival.

Art lovers will want to catch the exhibition "Picasso for Asia: a Conversation", at M+ museum, in the West Kowloon Cultural District – one of the world’s largest cultural developments. More than 60 masterpieces by Picasso are shown alongside artworks by Asian artists. Also there, is the Hong Kong Palace Museum, which is now showcasing an exhibition that brings together treasures from Beijing’s Forbidden City and the Palace of Versailles in Paris.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Hong Kong is where cultures meet and thrive, where creativity is well and alive. And you can also count on hills and sea coasts alive with fabulous hiking, and biking trails. After all, country parks make up some 40% of Hong Kong’s total land area.

And when you're all hiked and biked out, settle into one of our nearly 80 Michelin-starred restaurants, do yum cha (tea and food) with half of Hong Kong, then toast your good fortune at a local brew pub, or get cozy with milk tea at a classic dai pai dong, our traditional cooked food stalls. And don’t leave Hong Kong without a sky-high cocktail, or two, at hotel and city lounges rising from either side of Victoria Harbour. From dim sum dreams to boozy nights, our food paradise glows with true delights.

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure this year's Fragrant Hills will bring about global thrills. My thanks to the World Tourism Cities Federation, and this Hong Kong Summit. I'm confident we'll find a well-spring of innovative and inspiring ways to work together, to reimagine travel for this 21st Century packed with promise for global tourism – and for each and every one of our proud and magnificent cities.

Chief Executive John Lee gave these remarks at the 2025 World Tourism Cities Federation Hong Kong Fragrant Hills Tourism Summit on April 15.