Apec a chance for Hong Kong to earn its place in China’s tourism boom

Over the coming weeks, Hong Kong and Shenzhen will host two major gatherings of Asia-Pacific decision-makers. Hong Kong’s first Apec Finance Ministers’ Meeting takes place on October 20-21, with around 500 visitors expected, while Shenzhen hosts the Apec Economic Leaders’ Week next month.

These Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum meetings will bring international visitors to two neighbouring cities at the centre of China’s Apec year. For Hong Kong’s tourism industry, they offer a timely opportunity to turn that attention into longer stays in the city and encourage visitors to explore more of China.

There is a question we need to answer first. As overseas travellers find it easier to visit mainland cities directly, what would persuade them to include Hong Kong in that journey?

The central government’s latest plans make the question timely. Last month, Vice-Minister of Culture and Tourism Wang Jianhua outlined further improvements to inbound travel services, covering visas, payments, accommodation and transport. He also described plans for experiences combining traditional culture with contemporary Chinese life.

The mainland recorded 154 million inbound tourist trips last year, up 17.1 per cent, with visitor spending exceeding US$130 billion. Its tourism development plan sets goals of 190 million inbound visits and more than US$150 billion in annual spending by 2030. This creates a growing market in which Hong Kong businesses can compete for customers.

Hong Kong can combine its international connections and established visitor services with convenient access to mainland destinations. For visitors uncertain about planning a China holiday, that combination could offer a manageable introduction. Our tourism businesses have an opportunity to connect the two, helping customers choose experiences on the mainland and providing dependable support throughout their journey.

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Multi-destination tourism provides a foundation. Hong Kong’s Tourism Board already offers “Hong Kong+GBA” and “Hong Kong+Chinese mainland” products for European travellers to combine visits to Hong Kong with the Greater Bay Area and other mainland destinations in a single trip. It has also worked with partners in North America and Europe to promote travel across destinations.

The offers should also reflect differences between visitor markets. There were 12.1 million non-mainland visitors to Hong Kong last year, about 24 per cent of total arrivals; overnight visitors stayed an average of 3.1 nights. Operators could develop a straightforward Greater Bay Area extension for first-time visitors and more specialised food or cultural itineraries for returning travellers. This would give the Tourism Board and the travel trade a clearer basis for promoting products to different audiences.

Turning this opportunity into business requires coordinated action. Local tour operators and destination management companies can build bookable itineraries around interests such as food, culture, golf or contemporary urban life. They can bring together Hong Kong and mainland experiences, arrange transport and accommodation, and give visitors a clear point of contact throughout the trip.

The Tourism Board can help these products reach visitors while they are planning their journeys. Working with overseas travel trade, airlines, event organisers and mainland tourism partners, it can promote itineraries that give Hong Kong a meaningful place in a China holiday.

The meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) sector gives this proposal stronger commercial footing. Hong Kong welcomed 2.51 million MICE visitors last year; 1.43 million stayed overnight, generating about HK$10.7 billion (US$1.36 billion) in spending. Business events already bring overnight stays and substantial spending to the city. Tourism operators can build on this by offering delegates and accompanying visitors extensions that combine Hong Kong with destinations across the Greater Bay Area.

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Hotels have a direct commercial stake. Hong Kong hotel associations can help members work with tour operators and mainland partners to offer extensions before or after a Hong Kong stay, with clear referral arrangements. Restaurants, guides and attractions can be included in those packages, giving visitors a reason to set aside time for the city.

The city government can also help bring Hong Kong and mainland authorities together to address cross-boundary barriers that individual operators cannot resolve, including gaps in ticketing arrangements and coordination between tourism services. This would give businesses a more workable basis for building and selling multi-destination packages.

The commercial concern is real: time spent elsewhere may mean fewer nights or less spending in Hong Kong. The test is whether these partnerships bring visitors, stays and spending the city would otherwise miss. Operators and tourism bodies should track those results, alongside repeat bookings, to see which itineraries create lasting value for Hong Kong.

Delivering such a journey requires attention to unfamiliar details. Visitors need accurate guidance on entry requirements, realistic transport arrangements and help when plans change. Notably, Hong Kong’s four ports connected to the mainland – including West Kowloon Station and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge port – joined its 240-hour visa-free transit scheme last November. Eligibility still needs to be checked against nationality and itinerary.

The coming Apec meetings offer an occasion to test a small selection of extensions with delegates and accompanying visitors. Their questions and booking decisions could help operators understand what makes an offer useful. The lessons could shape packages for subsequent conferences and exhibitions.

Success would be measured through additional Hong Kong nights, local spending and repeat bookings. Operators would also need to establish whether their offers attract customers who would otherwise have chosen another route or destination.

As mainland China becomes easier to explore, Hong Kong will need to earn its place in visitors’ itineraries. Our businesses can do so by making the city a rewarding part of the holiday and helping travellers experience what lies beyond it. A well-organised first journey could begin a customer relationship that brings further visits and business to Hong Kong.