IN 2010, Hong Kong was once again voted ‘Best Business City in the World’ and ‘Best Business City in Northeast Asia’ in the annual readers’ poll organised by Business Traveller Asia-Pacific magazine.
Anthony Lau, executive director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said: “With a comprehensive range of hotel and business facilities, as well as convenient transportation and communication networks, Hong Kong can meet the needs of business travellers. What is more, Hong Kong enjoys a reputation as a paradise for both gourmets and shoppers, offering a gamut of options.”
In the first half of 2010, Hong Kong received a total of 1.66 million overnight business arrivals, a year-on-year increase of 15 per cent. According to a survey conducted by the HKTB among visitors, 93 per cent of business travellers said they would recommend Hong Kong as a destination to their friends, while 78 per cent expressed interest in revisiting the city.
And overnight business arrivals were up across the board in the first half of the year with those coming from the Americas increasing by almost 26 per cent to 201,000, Europe, Africa and the Middle East up by 12.6 per cent to 248,500 and visitors from mainland China up 9.5 per cent to 669,500.