HONG KONG Tourism Board executive director Dane Chang, who pioneered recent renewed campaigns to boost tourism in the city, is not renewing his contract with the government agency, it has emerged.
No announcement has yet been made by HKTB or the Hong Kong SAR Government’s Culture, Sport and Tourism Bureau, but South China Morning Post reporters revealed the move after spotting a job advertisement seeking a new executive director.
Not only did the former Cathay Pacific sales and marketing director lead tourism industry recovery following the disturbances of 2019, he also did much to restore the city’s profile after Covid restrictions hit the global travel industry. During the pandemic he oversaw a staycation campaign which is credited with helping city hotels through the crisis.
Reports say Cheng will stand down by October and a new executive director will be recruited after a global search. The search includes a job-vacancy post on LinkedIn, where the Post picked up the story.
Among the highlights of Cheng’s two three-year contracts with HKTB was the harnessing of large events to boost Hong Kong’s international profile, such as the Rugby Sevens, Art Basel and evening horse-racing meets at Happy Valley.
For international business event groups, HKTB rolled out the Incentive Playbook which provides 100-plus ideas for organisers and showcases the city’s urban landmarks, heritage, group-bonding activities and traditional crafts found in local districts that had been usually off the visitor trail.
It has been reported recently that the much prized mainland China market, which once featured high-spending tourists seeking luxury goods and accommodation in Hong Kong, has been eclipsed by a new trend of determined budget travellers. Hong Kong officials have also been championing the mega-events theme as a way of attaining measures set out in government policies to boost tourism numbers.
News of Cheng’s departure also follows an announcement by a government working group on new concepts to attract visitors. These include “industrial brand tourism” highlighting local F&B heritage such as the Kee Wah bakery showroom in the Cheung Sha Wan area of Kowloon, the Yakult yoghurt drink company and Lee Kum Lee sauce manufacturer, which are both on Tai Po Industrial Estate, and Pat Chun – a vinegar maker operating from Tseung Kwan O Industrial Estate.
Other ideas from the working group include the Four Peaks Tour, featuring some of Hong Kong’s highest mountains, along with visits to museums themed around the police, prison services, and fire-ambulance operations.
