The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) warmly welcomes the appointment of The Hon James Tien as its new Chairman with effect from 1 April 2007. Members of the Board and HKTB staff pledged their full support to Mr Tien, whose experience and acumen should enable Hong Kong to realise its fullest potential as one of the world's leading tourism destinations. Mr Tien replaces The Hon Mrs Selina Chow, who acted as Chairman of the organisation between 2000 and 2007, and led the HKTB in its transformation from a membership-based association into a world-class professional marketing-focused organisation.

In 2007, the HKTB will continue training the spotlight on Hong Kong's Living Culture, which comprises the city's fusion of Eastern and Western cultures; its colourful festivals and traditions; its contrasts of old and new, and city and countryside; as well as its world-class shopping and dining. The HKTB has been working with the travel trade to develop sightseeing tours and itineraries that package different Living Culture elements for each target market. For example, the New Lantau Island Tour includes a visit to the stilt-house fishing village of Tai O - a way of life in stark contrast to metropolitan Hong Kong.

The HKTB is also promoting traditional local festivals, including the upcoming Tin Hau, Tam Kung and Cheung Chau Bun Festivals, as well as the Buddha Birthday celebrations. By publicising these celebrations and encouraging the travel trade to include them in itineraries, the HKTB hopes that more visitors will take part and experience Hong Kong's Living Culture at first-hand.

The HKTB is taking an active part in preparations for the celebration of the 10^th Anniversary of the HKSAR. To encourage visitors to share this memorable occasion, and to enhance the city's festive atmosphere, the HKTB will organise a series of activities both in overseas markets and Hong Kong.

In Mainland China - Hong Kong's largest source market - the HKTB will roll out a major publicity campaign, which includes a "Little Journalists" programme. Under this programme, 100 model 10-year-old students will be invited to visit Hong Kong and report on the city's latest developments. Their articles will be published in major children's and youth publications in the Mainland. Other initiatives include the production of a VCD for use as a teaching aid in primary schools, and a music video targeting the young segment, which will be broadcast on more than 300 Mainland TV stations and portals.

The HKTB is also supporting the celebratory activities organised by the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office (HKETO) in various overseas markets. Leveraging overseas media interest in the 10^th Anniversary of the HKSAR, the HKTB will invite media representatives to visit Hong Kong and experience for themselves the city's developments over the past decade, so as to generate extensive international coverage and publicity.

Locally, to enhance the festive ambience and enrich visitors' experiences, the HKTB will stage the Hong Kong Shopping Festival from late June until the end of August, and the Best of the Best Culinary Awards in September. The HKTB is working closely with travel-trade partners to develop a host of special privileges and discounts for visitors, so that they will bring home unforgettable experiences of the Anniversary celebrations.

With the trend towards independent travel firmly established, the HKTB has enhanced its web-based Interactive Itinerary Planner. Available in Simplified and Traditional Chinese and English, this user-friendly online tool enables visitors to create personalised itineraries before arriving in Hong Kong (www.discoverhongkong.com/planner).

Featuring such functions as drag-and-drop, search and bookmark, the Interactive Itinerary Planner offers itineraries catering to first-timers and repeat visitors, as well as travellers with niche or special interests. They present the total Hong Kong experience, combining recommendations on sightseeing, heritage and culture, shopping and dining, as well as point-to-point transportation information. With just a few clicks, visitors can select, mix and match activities according to their length of stay and best suited to their interests and preferences. They may even have a glimpse of the highlights of their itineraries through the virtual tour.

The enhanced Interactive Itinerary Planner complements the HKTB's existing PDA Leisure Guide for Business Travellers and the Hong Kong Mobile Host service. Together these electronic tools offer visitors convenient access to comprehensive, up-to-date information about Hong Kong before arrival and during their stay. With such an array of information tools on hand, planning a visit to Hong Kong has never been easier.

As part of its efforts to promote Hong Kong as a leading convention and exhibition hub, the HKTB invited 45 key office-holders of major international organisations and associations to attend the Hong Kong - Meeting Your Choice executive visitation programme on 2-5 February. As well as highlighting Hong Kong's exceptional facilities and professional services, the programme offered delegates a platform for exchanges with local counterparts, and the opportunity to experience for themselves Hong Kong's distinctive local culture through such activities as tai chi classes.

VIP guests were all impressed by Hong Kong's professionalism and hospitality, and were convinced that the city is a perfect convention destination. Indeed, one participant reached an agreement to hold a convention in Hong Kong in 2008. Riding on the programme, the HKTB will orchestrate publicity in key convention markets, and continue building Hong Kong's branding as the ultimate events destination through a range of marketing and promotional initiatives.

The HKTB achieved excellent results in two community programmes - the e-invite campaign and My Hong Kong Family programme - in 2006, which were devised to involve local people in 2006 Discover Hong Kong Year, and extend the tourism footprint throughout the city.

During 2006, more than 10,000 e-invites to visit Hong Kong were sent by local residents to friends and relatives abroad, some of which were specially designed by the residents. Altogether these colourful e-cards helped generate 1.4 million page views at the HKTB's DiscoverHongKong.com website. To further extend the city's hospitality, 15 teams of Hong Kong Family Ambassadors hosted families from 15 international markets, including Mainland China, Japan, Indonesia, Canada and the UK, enabling the latter to experience Hong Kong's distinctive culture and lifestyle. The ambassadors also took part in interviews with visiting media, whose coverage helped maximise publicity for the city as a family destination.

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