To tap into the affluent Middle Eastern market, the Hong Kong government has been promoting its offerings to members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Analysts note that these initiatives aim to diversify Hong Kong’s economy by building stronger partnerships and attracting more investors and travellers from this key region.
Mr Lam from HKFTU noted that finding tour guides who speak the languages of Middle Eastern countries – such as Arabic or Farsi – is difficult, but efforts are underway to recruit more English-speaking guides.
Assoc Prof Wan noted that while the Southeast Asian and Muslim markets are “growing fast”, mainland visitors remain the dominant segment.
As such, even as Hong Kong strives to tap other markets, it is highly unlikely these efforts will dilute the drive to attract mainlanders, she noted.
CHASING MICE AND OTHER MARKETS
Hong Kong has also been training its sights on rebuilding the key MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) sector, which was decimated by the pandemic.
The city welcomed 700,000 MICE travellers in the first half of 2024, about 80 per cent of 2018 levels. Officials project that the number of major events will increase from 150 to over 210 this year, potentially drawing 1.7 million tourists.
MICE travellers are typically bigger spenders, forking out an average of HK$8,000 per visit – 20 per cent to 30 per cent higher than the average spend of other overnight visitors, according to HKTB.
Hong Kong is set to host over 60 MICE events from September to the end of the year, according to Meetings & Exhibitions Hong Kong, a division of HKTB.
Further ahead, the city is set to welcome events like SIGGRAPH Asia, a computer graphics convention, in December 2025. It was last held in Hong Kong in 2013.
The World Cancer Congress and International Federation of Landscape Architects World Congress are among the major events to be held in the territory in 2026.
Beyond chasing MICE, Hong Kong is also looking to tap other markets. The arts scene is one – authorities have been positioning the city as a cultural hub on the global stage by fostering local talent in music, film, fashion and design.
