Hong Kong – Speech by Acting Commissioner for Tourism at Opening Ceremony of 38th International Travel Expo and 19th MICE Travel Expo (English only)
Speech by Acting Commissioner for Tourism at Opening Ceremony of 38th International Travel Expo and 19th MICE Travel Expo (English only)
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Following is the speech by the Acting Commissioner for Tourism, Ms Joanne Chu, at the Opening Ceremony of the 38th International Travel Expo and the 19th MICE Travel Expo:
Mr Tong (Founder and Managing Director of TKS Exhibition Services, Mr Tong Kam-shing), distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends of Hong Kong,
First of all, thank you so much for having me today. It is my great honour to participate in the Opening Ceremony of the International Travel Expo and MICE Travel Expo event. And may I also extend a warm welcome to all of you to Hong Kong. 歡迎我們內地的朋友到香港來 (Our friends from the Mainland, welcome to Hong Kong). I remember there is a very famous book about travel around the world in 80 days. But now I can tell you, you can just do it in one day. The trick, of course, is to come and visit the International Travel Expo. So I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to KS and your team for staging such a wonderful event in Hong Kong about tourism because right now we are promoting tourism everywhere.
So back to the Travel Expo this year. I know the theme this year is “Forward to Full Recovery”. I think in Hong Kong, we have a very good story to tell. First of all, in terms of the tourism figures, following the resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the rest of the world, we have been seeing a very good trend of recovery of our tourism market.
Just take 2023 as an example. We received 34 million visitors coming from all over the world. And just in the first five months of 2024, we have already welcomed 18 million visitors coming to Hong Kong from different parts of the world, representing an increase of 78 per cent, compared to the same period of 2023. And we are confident that the increasing trend will continue because thanks to the support of the Central Government, we are welcoming more and more Mainland visitors to Hong Kong under the Individual Visit Scheme, which has recently been expanded to cover 59 Mainland cities, including all the provincial capitals on the Mainland. Under the Scheme, it will be more convenient and much easier for our Mainland friends to come and visit Hong Kong.
Besides, we are also stepping up our efforts to reach out and expand our new source market, including the Middle East and the Muslim market. So we stand ready to welcome our friends from different parts of the world to come to Hong Kong. So please ask your friends to come to Hong Kong; share your unique experience here in your social media to attract them to come.
In fact we know that to sustain the momentum, we have to diversify our tourism products to enrich our tourism offerings. Actually in the past few years, apart from enhancing our very famous local attractions – the two theme parks, the Peak, etc – we have been putting a lot of efforts in developing the thematic tour experiences to our visitors.
Just take the work of the Tourism Commission as an example. We launched two signature projects in the past few years. One is called the Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival. I’m sure most of you will know that Sai Kung is the back garden of Hong Kong. If you have a chance to visit Sai Kung, I strongly encourage you to go there to see the paradise of our city. The idea of the Arts Festival is to connect the beautiful islands of Sai Kung together with arts and culture. Imagine – on one hand, you are enjoying the beautiful sunshine and beautiful natural scenery, and on the other hand, you can immerse yourselves in art installations and different cultural activities. So is it amazing? Sounds very attractive, right? The upcoming Sai Kung Hoi Arts Festival this year will start in November in Hong Kong. Please stay tuned for this.
Another signature project that my office is doing is what we called the Design District Hong Kong, #ddHK in short. Again, our idea is to connect the local neighbourhood with arts and culture to showcase the local characteristics. We will have art installations by different artists, and also different cultural activities for visitors and locals to join. We have done the #ddHK in Central and Sham Shui Po before. This year, we will bring that to the New Territories, in Tsuen Wan and Sha Tau Kok, two other emerging tourist destinations to Hong Kong. The #ddHK, again, will come in the fourth quarter of this year. Please also stay tuned for this event.
Ladies and gentlemen, just the efforts of the Government, of course, isn’t enough. We have to count on our trade. That’s why we have been working very closely with the Travel Industry Council to encourage our local industry practitioners to develop more thematic tours covering local heritage, culture, the rich history of Hong Kong, and even blue and green tourism, so that when visitors come to Hong Kong, through taking part in these thematic tours, they can get a taste of the authenticity, vibrancy, energy and rich culture of the city and, of course, experience the East-meets-West culture of Hong Kong.
Of course I know that just the product is not enough. We have to continue organising different types of exciting and special events for our visitors. Talking about events, there is one event I think you can’t afford to miss, which is the upcoming International Dragon Boat Race, to be held this weekend at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade. This is a carnival-like event combining local heritage. Of course, it’s the legendary dragon boat race, entertainment, sports and tourism. I look forward to seeing you there at the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade this weekend, because the Hong Kong Tourism Board will also have the Summer Chill Food Lane there, where you can enjoy a variety of local delicacies.
Apart from the dragon boat race, we have already scheduled over 210 events for the rest of the year in Hong Kong. Right now we are also having the Volleyball Nations League in Hong Kong. So do buy a ticket and support the volleyball teams that you like. Besides, if you are arts and culture lovers, right now we are having the Chinese Culture Festival and, later on, the International Arts Carnival. If you are a fan of comics, I am sure the 100% Doraemon and Friends Tour will be your cup of tea. If you are a foodie, no worries, do come and enjoy the Wine and Dine Festival to be held in October this year in Hong Kong.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure with the support of the Hong Kong Government and the efforts from all of us here, we can take the next step forward of the tourism industry and bring the industry to a new height. Once again, thank you so much for having me. I wish the twin expo another year of great success. Good health and prosperity to all of you here. Thank you so much.
Arrangements for travel document services after relocation of Immigration Headquarters
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A spokesperson of the ImmD said that the last working day of the Travel Documents and Nationality (Application) (TDNA) Section and the Travel Documents (Issue) (TDI) Section at the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai is June 8. The two sections will be relocated to the Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O on June 11 to continue to render services for travel document application and collection.
To provide members of the public with more convenient services, the TDNA Section will, on the same day upon commencement of operations of the new Immigration Headquarters in Tseung Kwan O, extend its services to the handling of applications for the Document of Identity for Visa Purposes and the Re-entry Permit, in addition to the existing service of processing applications for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passport. For members of the public who need to submit those applications in person at that office, they may book an appointment through the Internet (www.gov.hk/tdbooking) or via a 24-hour hotline (2598 0888) available from May 27.
As regards the arrangements for collection of travel documents, the spokesperson said that for an applicant whose travel document application has been processed, the ImmD will issue a Notice of Collection to notify the applicant the collection arrangements. Upon relocation of the TDI Section, applicants who have originally opted to collect their new travel documents at the TDI Section at the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai may collect their travel documents according to the details stated in the Notice of Collection. For applicants with a Notice of Collection issued on or before March 10, 2024, they are advised to collect their new travel documents as soon as possible; the uncollected new travel documents will be transferred on June 11 to the TDI Section in Tseung Kwan O (Address: 1st Floor, Administration Tower, Immigration Headquarters, 61 Po Yap Road, Tseung Kwan O, New Territories) for collection thereafter.
Moreover, for applicants with a Notice of Collection issued on or after March 11, 2024, they may collect their new travel documents at the Wan Chai Collection Office on or before June 8, or at the Hong Kong Island Travel Documents Issuing Office (Address: 2nd Floor, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central) from June 11 onwards.
The details of the above collection arrangements are appended in the Annex. If members of the public wish to collect their new travel documents before the relocation of the Immigration Tower in Wan Chai, they should attend that office early for the collection, and no appointment booking is required. For more information about collection of travel documents and office hours, please visit the Immigration webpage (www.immd.gov.hk/eng/faq/hk-travel-doc.html).
The ImmD takes this opportunity to call on members of the public who are planning for travel to arrange for renewal of their HKSAR passports in advance, and allow sufficient time for the applications for and collection of their new passports. The ImmD also encourages members of the public to submit their HKSAR passport applications online, which is fast and convenient. For enquiries, please call the ImmD hotline on 2824 6111 or contact the ImmD by fax (2877 7711) or email (enquiry@immd.gov.hk).
The Web Marketing Association is looking for the best travel sites in the world as part of their 28th annual international WebAward Competition for Web site development at www.webaward.org. The WebAwards is the standards-defining competition that sets benchmarks for 90 industries, including travel, airline and hotel & lodging websites, based on the seven criteria of a successful web site. The deadline for the best travel web sites to enter to be judged is May 31, 2024. “Travel websites serve as a crucial portal, opening up the world to millions and sparking the desire for exploration,” stated William Rice, President of the Web Marketing Association. “In an era where the internet has revolutionized travel, eliminating traditional agents as the primary source of information, travel websites have risen to the challenge, embodying innovation and user-friendliness. Our judges particularly commend the exemplary use of design, engaging content, and interactive features in these sites. The WebAward Competition not only highlights the industry’s finest achievements in website development but also provides invaluable feedback and marketing opportunities, setting the stage for future innovations and attracting a new wave of adventurers.” Websites are judged on seven criteria including design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, copy writing and ease of use. Each WebAward entry in the Travel category is judged against other travel entries and then against an overall standard of excellence. All travel entrants benefit from receiving valuable feedback in terms of their specific criteria scores compared against the average scores for their industry. They also may receive specific comments from the WebAward’s professional judging panel on their Web site development efforts. Winners of a WebAward in the travel categories will also receive: Each year, the Web Marketing Association names the Best of Industry for the various travel categories based on the score they receive from the WebAward judges. Winners of the Best Travel Website include: § 2023 – The Okaloosa County Tourism Department and Miles Partnership for Design Fort Walton Beach’s Little adventire-focused website Winners of the Best Airline Website include: 2022 – FirmStudio & Greater Bay Airlines for Greater Bay Airlines Corporate Website Winners of the Best Hotel & Lodging Website include: § 2023 – UP Hotel Agency for Bunk Travel Websites can be entered into consideration for the 2024 Best Travel Website WebAward at the WebAward Website. The 2024 WebAwards are sponsored by the following leading organizations: PR.com, iContact, and eTailConferences. The Web Marketing Association thanks these companies for their commitment to the entire online marketing community. Please Join the Web Marketing Association on Social Media: LinkedIn Page, LinkedIn Group & Twitter. Like and follow for news and award updates. About the WebAwards The Web Marketing Association was founded in 1997 to help define the standard of excellence for online marketing. Our internationally known award programs, such as WebAward Competition for Website Development, Internet Advertising Competition and the MobileWebAwards, recognize the people and organizations responsible for developing the most effective online marketing programs on the Internet today. Entrants benefit from assessment of their marketing efforts by a professional judging panel and the marketing opportunities presented by being recognized as an award-winning web developer. Web Marketing Association Categories In the shocking third installment of the Time Corrector series, super-genius Dr. Vincent Abajian finds himself in even greater turmoil, and this time, the fate of his beloved daughter is on the line. “The Reset” is a culmination of worlds colliding, timelines interweaving, and relationships that seemed indestructible, reaching dire breaking points. “The heart of the story is love and sacrifice as experienced through the non-linearity of time and reality,” author Avi Datta, who is a professor at Illinois State University. In “The Reset,” Vincent finds himself in the midst of an international political crisis created by his adversary, Philip Nardin. As he tirelessly works to offset the impact, Philip kidnaps Nozomi, Vincent’s daughter. As a last resort, Vincent relinquishes his time-correcting powers to Philip while the world leaders launch a devastating arms race to weaponize Intreton—the world’s purest energy source that can alter reality if mishandled. The two opponents, Vincent and Philip, unite against political and military forces to save reality from crumbling. The first book in the series, “The Winding,” won the Global Book Award’s Gold medal in the Sci-Fi Romance category, and the Reader’s Favorite top five Sci-Fi-Time Travel Fiction. “The Movement,” the second book, won the 2023 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal Winner for the Best Sci-Fi Novel and The 2023 Global Book Award’s Gold Medal. “The Reset” is poised to receive similar accolades and offer a satisfying conclusion to this exciting series. “I tend not to box my stories within the confines of one sub-genre. Instead, I challenge the core assumption that causality and time are linear,” Datta said. “The Reset” is now available in paperback and eBook formats on major online retailers, including Amazon and Ingram. The book is distributed by Bublish, Inc. Connect with Avi at avi-datta.com. To learn about Bublish and its publishing services, visit bublish.com. About the Author Avi works with Bublish, whose mission is to empower entrepreneurial authors with the tools, resources, and programs they need to be successful in today’s competitive book marketplace.Hong Kong – Arrangements for travel document services after relocation of Immigration Headquarters
The Immigration Department (ImmD) announced today (May 16) the arrangements for travel document services after the relocation of the Immigration Headquarters on June 11.Journey to Excellence: Top Travel Websites Compete for Prestigious Best Travel Website WebAward
· A limited-edition Commemorative NFT
· Increased visibility for their company
· Marketing opportunity to promote the company website to the media
· Links to your site from the highly ranked WebAward site to help SEO
· Social media posts for your company and personal feeds
· A highlight for your resume
· Admiration of peers, friends and co-workers
· Unlimited bragging rights
§ 2022 – Louisiana Office of Tourism and Miles Partnership for Louisiana Byways
§ 2021 – Reichl und Partner eMarketing GmbH for Simon’s Best Travel GMBH Website
§ 2020 – 4 Roads for Natural World Safaris
§ 2019 – VERB Interactive for VBT
§ 2018 – Visit Huntington Beach for Surf City USA
§ 2017 – Michigan Economic Development Corporation and Miles Partnership for Pure Michigan’s New Leisure Website
§ 2016 – Experience Grand Rapids for Experience Grand Rapids Website
§ 2015 – TripCreator ehf. for TripCreator.com
§ 2014 – USDM for Colorado Springs
§ 2013 – Pixo Punch Limited for Hong Kong Summer Spectacular Campaign
§ 2012 – Boyd Gaming Corporation for B Connected Online
§ 2011 – Civic Resource Group for Wyoming Travel and Tourism Web Portal and Online Management System
§ 2010 – TravelChannel.com & Razorfish for The New TravelChannel.com
§ 2009 – VisitSweden for VisitSweden
§ 2008 – Teehan+Lax Inc for AirMiles Make Like Miles
§ 2007 – Arnold Worldwide for Hungry Suitcase
§ 2006 – Hospitality eBusiness Strategies for RIU Cancun Portal
§ 2005 – Yellowstone Journal Corporation for YellowstonePark.com
2004 – Quicksilver Associates for Seabourn Cruise Line
2003 – Apollo Interactive for Excalibur Las Vegas Resort Hotel & Casino
2002 – Arnold Worldwide for Alaska
2019 – Origo for Cabo Verde Airlines
2018 – FINE for XOJET
2016 – SapientNitro & China Airlines for China Airline Website Re-design
2015 – DigitasLBi for Virgin Atlantic Airways
2014 – Icelandair & TM Software for Icelandair
2013 – ROKKAN for JetBlue
2011 – Carlson Marketing for JetBlue – “TrueBlue Be True”
2010 – Lufthansa in partnership with Amadeus for Lufthansa in partnership with Amadeus
2009 – Blast Advanced Media for Nature Air – Eco Friendly Costa Rica Airline
2008 – Atmosphere BBDO for emirates.com
2007 – Cramer-Krasselt for AirTran Raceway
2006 – TM Interactive for American Airlines – We Know Why You Fly
2005 – TM Interactive for We Know Why You Fly
2004 – Cramer-Krasselt for AirTran Airways – E-Annual 2003
2003 – Agence Braque for Jetsgo
§ 2022 – Evans Hotels for Catamaran Resort Hotel and Spa
§ 2021 – UP Hotel Agency for The Hari
§ 2020 – UP Hotel Internet Marketing for Maison Panthere
§ 2019 – UP Hotel Internet Marketing for Qbic (2019 Best of Show)
§ 2018 – TravelClick, Inc. for Thistle Hotels
§ 2017 – [D³] Digital Design + Development for Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills – At The Center of Extraordinary (2017 Best of Show)
§ 2016 – HeBS Digital for Tsogo Sun
§ 2015 – HeBS Digital for Red Lion Hotels Website
§ 2014 – Forte Village Resort for Forte Village
§ 2013 – HeBS Digital for Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan
§ 2012 – TravelClick Web Solutions for Puente Romano
§ 2011 – Sabre Hospitality Solutions for The Shores Resort & Spa
§ 2010 – TravelClick for Harbour Grand Kowloon Hotel
§ 2009 – TravelCLICK for the Albert Hotel
§ 2008 – E-site Marketing for Hotel Terra Jackson Hole
§ 2007 – Cendyn for Stonewall Resort
§ 2006 – T3 (The Think Tank) for ExperienceMarriott.com
§ 2005 – Open World, Ltd. for Warwick International Hotels
§ 2004 – Interactive Sites for The New York Palace web site
§ 2003 – Open World Limited for Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts
§ 2002 – FreeRun Technologies for Simpson House Inn
William Rice
860-558-5423
www.WebAward.org
Contact
Final Book in Time Travel Romance “Time Corrector” Series Released
Avi Datta is a professor of Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Illinois State University. He is also affiliated with the Institute of Innovation Research at Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo, Japan. He is also an avid painter, a coffee enthusiast, and a watch collector.
Bublish
Kathy Meis
843-513-7337
https://bublish.com
Avi Datta
https://avi-datta.com/contact/
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