Latest news with #TourismBoard
Zawya
04-07-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Dates announced for Meetings Africa 2026 and Africa's Travel Indaba 2026
The Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, together with the South African Tourism Board, has officially announced the 2026 dates for the country's two flagship tourism trade shows — Meetings Africa and Africa's Travel Indaba. Meetings Africa 2026 will take place from 23 to 25 February 2026, with the Business Opportunity Networking Day (BONDay) set for 22 February. Africa's Travel Indaba 2026 will be held from 11 to 14 May 2026, with its BONDay scheduled for 10 May. 'These are not just dates, they are important milestones in our continent's tourism and business events calendar,' said Minister De Lille. 'They are South African Tourism's commitment to partnering and working with the global tourism and business events sector, to facilitate valuable connections with various partners from across the globe. "With this announcement, we are affirming South Africa's position as a leading host of world-class business events.' Source: Supplied Showcasing African business and leisure tourism Meetings Africa remains one of the continent's leading business events trade show, collaborating with the African continent to position Africa as a capable, creative, and competitive destination for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE). Africa's Travel Indaba continues to be one of the world's top leisure tourism marketing events, showcasing African tourism products, services and stories to the global market. Both shows play a vital role in promoting market access, creating economic impact, and contributing to job creation and long-term sustainability for the sector, particularly supporting small tourism enterprises. South African Tourism has confirmed that a competitive bidding process is underway to appoint host cities for both events from 2026 for the next five years, providing an opportunity to evolve, innovate and maximise the events' impact for all stakeholders.
South China Morning Post
23-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Hotel-to-student hostel conversions won't hurt tourist capacity: Hong Kong official
Hong Kong's move to repurpose excess office and hotel spaces to meet the growing housing needs of non-local students will not hurt the city's tourism capacity, a senior official has said, while a leading surveyor has warned of possible hurdles. Advertisement Doris Ho Pui-ling, permanent secretary for development in planning and lands, said on Monday that allowing hotels to be converted would not cannibalise tourist accommodation, adding that the supply of rooms was sufficient. 'We have more than 90,000 hotel rooms in Hong Kong with an occupancy rate of around 80 to 90 per cent, so as we see it now, the quantity should be able to support the development of the tourism industry,' Ho said. 'Ultimately, we will leave the market to decide whether some low-to-mid-priced hotels turn into student hostels.' According to the latest figures from the Tourism Board, the average hotel occupancy rate reached 86 per cent in April. Advertisement On Friday, the Development Bureau announced that it would expand the definition of 'hotels' to include student hostels, waive planning procedures and simplify applications, allowing private operators to build the dormitories on commercial land more easily.
South China Morning Post
22-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
What is the ‘Hong Kong Summer Viva' campaign? And what deals are on offer?
Hong Kong is launching a summer campaign to electrify spending among tourists and locals on Monday, with the promotional effort offering perks and discounts on goods and services ranging from transport to theme parks. The effort has seen the Tourism Board team up with theme park operators, retailers and transport providers to launch the 'Hong Kong Summer Viva' drive. Here is what you need to know. 1. What is the Hong Kong Summer Viva campaign? The campaign is being spearheaded by the board to encourage tourists and residents to spend more in the city during the peak summer travel season. The promotion effort brings together more than 150 partners, including major attraction operators, hotels, restaurants and retailers. It also aligns with the board's recently stated goal of focusing on the quality and duration of visits, rather than purely looking at arrival numbers, with the new direction of 'packaging' together attractions and events to create more compelling travel itineraries. 2. What about exclusive tourist offers? In a bid to entice overseas visitors, the campaign has eight offers exclusive to tourists that will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
RTHK
20-06-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Rosanna Law committed to enhancing her bureau's work
Rosanna Law committed to enhancing her bureau's work Rosanna Law said her bureau still has significant work ahead and numerous opportunities to explore. Photo: RTHK Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said she is committed to strengthening Hong Kong's cultural, sports and tourism offerings with the aim of creating enriching experiences for both residents and visitors. Speaking to RTHK to mark the third year of Chief Executive John Lee's administration, Law expressed deep enthusiasm for her work, emphasising the fulfillment she finds in her position. She said her bureau still has significant work ahead and numerous opportunities to explore. 'I really want to ensure that Hong Kong's culture, sports and tourism [bureau] not only upholds a good reputation but also achieves tangible results," Law said. "These results can be economic benefits, notable achievements or how we showcase positive aspects to the public, including our various artists and athletes gaining recognition internationally. 'However, the most important point is that culture, sports and tourism [events] should bring joy to people. "If citizens and tourists find happiness in participating in our cultural and sports activities, I will already be very satisfied.' The tourism chief said many new attractions like Hong Kong Disneyland's World of Frozen and Kai Tak Sports Park have drawn a significant number of visitors to the city, but there is still a need to manage surges in tourism. 'What we need to work on is managing crowd movements during peak times, especially at popular spots like, for example, the High Island Reservoir East Dam,' Law said. 'We definitely need better management when it comes to distributing the flow of people effectively because Hong Kong's capacity to accommodate visitors should be completely fine.' Law said plans are underway to deploy real-time crowd monitoring and alert systems at key sites to better manage crowds. 'In the future, we hope to establish alerts for certain scenic spots,' she said. "If there are too many people, we could use red and green indicators to inform travellers. 'We often talk about 'off-peak travel,' encouraging people to visit when it's less crowded or to leave before peak times. "Even for travel dates, if we can promote off-peak options, it would help manage the situation better.' Looking ahead, Law said the Tourism Board is leveraging artificial intelligence capabilities to tailor experiences for visitors based on demographics and preferences while factoring in real-time attraction capacity and crowd conditions.
RTHK
16-06-2025
- Business
- RTHK
Visitor arrivals in May top 4 million
Visitor arrivals in May top 4 million The Tourism Board says last month's arrivals totalled 4.08 million, representing a 20 percent year-on-year increase. File photo: RTHK Hong Kong saw more than 4 million visitor arrivals in May, fuelled by the mainland's Labour Day Golden Week holiday and citywide events, the Tourism Board said on Monday. In a statement, the board said last month's arrivals totalled 4.08 million, representing a 20 percent year-on-year increase. This surge contributed to a strong first five months of the year, with total tourist arrivals topping 20 million between January and May, a 12 percent rise from the same period last year. About 15.2 million arrivals in the first five months of the year were from mainland, marking a 10 percent rise from the previous year, whereas non-mainland visitors totalled about 5 million, an 18 percent increase, with significant growth from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia and the Philippines. Meanwhile, the Airport Authority said it handled 4.86 million passengers in May, an increase of almost 20 percent compared with a year ago. The authority attributed the growth to more transfer and transit passengers, particularly to and from the mainland and Southeast Asia. It added that cargo volume recorded a 1.4 percent year-on-year last month to 422,000 tonnes, supported by a 12.7 percent rise in transshipments, with Europe and the Middle East being key contributors.
