HK unveils '+Tourism' vision to boost competitiveness

Hong Kong will adopt the "+Tourism" concept in 2026 to deepen integration of culture, sports and tourism and reinforce its status as a global events capital, said Rosanna Law, the city’s tourism chief.

Her remarks came at the Hong Kong Tourism Overview 2026, where the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) unveiled three strategies for the year, the first of which is to diversify source markets to attract high‑value overnight visitors.

The HKTB will reallocate its promotional resources, allocating 75% to international markets and 25% to the mainland, with a focus on non-Guangdong cities to boost overnight visitor numbers.

The second strategy is to continue supporting the industry’s long-term development and create business opportunities, thereby strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international events hub and Asia’s cruise centre, while boosting the promotion of Greater Bay Area multi-stop itineraries.

The third strategy is to highlight Hong Kong’s strengths and boost tourism competitiveness, with plans to bolster its "Asian international metropolis" and "Asian events capital" brands through new themed promotions, smarter tourism upgrades, and enhancements to six flagship events.

Beyond mega events, the HKTB will step up promotion of traditional Chinese and Western festivals. It will focus on Mid-Autumn and Halloween promotions, with Halloween expanded from a single day into a month-long experience. In October, the HKTB will partner with businesses to stage a cosplay‑themed "Halloween month" across four weekends to attract young people and families.

Given that financial secretary Paul Chan previously announced in the budget that a new light-and-projection show will replace the 22‑year‑old "Symphony of lights”, the HKTB said it will introduce the new performance before summer to enhance Hong Kong’s nighttime experience. It will have two parts: festival‑based immersive light shows held at different times and locations, and long‑term lighting installations at signature spots, with the Peak among the proposed sites. 

The HKTB will launch a new campaign and slogan to replace "Hello Hong Kong," highlighting the city’s vibrant diversity, East‑meets‑West culture, and colourful visitor experiences to reinforce its standing as an Asian international metropolis. IT will also maximise the potential of the upcoming airport-city blueprint project, Skytopia, to tap into the high-end yacht tourism market, and will cooperate with Hong Kong’s first Chinese Medicine Hospital to expand medical tourism.

In a Facebook post, Law said while the annual visitor arrivals are expected to reach 53.8 million, an 8% increase over 2025, the government will propel Hong Kong into a new era of quality upgrades and deep integration of culture, sports and tourism, in full alignment with our nation's freshly announced 15th five-year plan. Specifically, it embrace the concept of "+Tourism", taking the sectors where Hong Kong already shines and apply the "+Tourism" multiplier to unlock their full potential.

For example, the government has cruise ships berthing in Hong Kong every day during the Chinese New Year Golden Week, new luxurious ships calling, and triple, even quadruple berthing are often seen in our busy terminals, according to Law.

"Beyond on-shore spending of our cruise visitors, economic benefits also arise from the operation of cruise ships, such as berthing fees, reprovisioning, hiring of ground handlers, as well as the spending of crew members of each cruise ship," she said. 

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