The source text is in Chinese. This English version is for reference only. In case of any discrepancy between this English version and the Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail. 

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) recently announced the Development Blueprint for Hong Kong's Tourism Industry 2.0 ("Blueprint 2.0"). One of its key strategies is the promotion of smart tourism. The focus of public discussions has been on user-centric aspects, such as electronic payment instruments, and enhancing Wi-Fi services and 5G network coverage. Nonetheless, beyond simply meeting visitor expectations, the development of smart tourism involves supporting the Government in tourism policymaking and enhancing the competitiveness of the tourism industry. By examining the initiatives on smart tourism in Blueprint 2.0, it is clear that the Government intends to make three breakthroughs in enhancing the dissemination of travel information, strengthening data collection and analysis, and driving innovation and collaboration in the industry.

Highlight 1: Enhancing Travel Information Dissemination

From initial planning to visiting Hong Kong and returning home, visitors have basic needs, such as tourist guides, navigation, and guided tour services throughout their journey. If visitors receive timely information and services, the experience and enjoyment of their Hong Kong visit will be far greater, and to this end, as outlined in Blueprint 2.0, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will enhance the Discover Hong Kong one-stop travel information platform, encompassing attractions, activities, transport guides, and useful applications, so that visitors can easily access comprehensive, reliable, and up-to-date travel information.

There are views to draw on the approach of neighbouring tourism hotspots, including Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, Thailand, Japan, and Macao. The authority could launch a mobile application (app) to integrate various travel information and channels. However, given the diversity of mobile operating systems (such as iOS, Android, and HarmonyOS), the development and maintenance of the app across different platforms and interfaces involve significant investment. Additionally, since apps alike are of high functional complexity and substantial storage requirements, visitors may be dissuaded from installation. Consequently, the download and utilisation rates would not be highly cost-effective. In particular, Japan terminated its official tourism mobile app service in September 2023 after six years of operation.

In comparison with mobile apps, recently emerged web application (web apps) may be better. Due to their browser-based nature, neither download nor installation is needed for any instant searching and execution, making them ideal for a one-off trip. Furthermore, web apps are highly compatible, spanning multiple operating systems and interfaces. Hence, the development and maintenance processes can be streamlined, and the cost of regular updates can be significantly reduced.

Strengthening Data Collection and Analysis

Through tourism data collection, analysis, and processing, the Government can better promote local tourism development. Meanwhile, the industry can enhance their marketing effectiveness and establish more commercially viable tourism products and experiences. Unfortunately, due to commercial competition, private enterprises, are often reluctant to share data openly, limiting the full exploration of the value of the data. Furthermore, data collection is merely the initial step. The subsequent analysis and application of data are of vital importance to the quality of governmental decision-making and the enhancement of industrial efficiency. Therefore, Blueprint 2.0 initiated a pilot co-operation programme with various private data providers, with the aim of breaking down data barriers, providing greater amounts of timely information, and assisting the industry in utilising big data via intuitive means, such as charts and interactive dashboards, for capturing the significance behind. This would be a pivotal step towards smart tourism, highlighting the Government's commitment to foster data sharing among enterprises for a win-win business environment.

The Korean Tourism Data Lab, developed by the Korea Tourism Organization, is a successful paradigm that merits emulation. It not only openly shares diverse datasets with the industry, but also provides dynamic, readily understand data analytical services. For example, for cultural and festival tourism events, the Lab has collated multiple data sources, including mobile telecommunications, navigation systems, and credit card spending, to generate reports covering gender and age distribution of visitors, traffic trends of local and foreign visitors, number of destination search results, and spending patterns during festivals and non-festival periods. Beyond accurately capturing tourism trends, these multi-dimensional and in-depth analyses illustrate visitors’ characteristics and consumption behaviours, and thus providing robust, evidence-based support for governmental monitoring of tourism activities and the formulation of effective business strategies.

Highlight 3: Driving Innovation and Collaboration in the Indusrty

The tourism industry demands innovative tourism products and experiences, whereas the innovation and technology (I&T) industry possesses technological solutions and successful paradigms. Due to limited interaction opportunities, the potential of cross-sector collaboration remains largely untapped. To remove the bottleneck, Blueprint 2.0 proposed that the Government collaborates with I&T parks to establish exchange platforms so that I&T companies would better understand the needs and challenges of the tourism industry, while facilitating joint efforts in designing, piloting, developing, and improving smart tourism products and services, ultimately providing visitors with better and more unique travel experiences.

The potential sparks generated by exchange platforms alike should not be underestimated. For instance, the Seoul Tourism Startups competition held in Seoul annually has spawned innovative products and give fresh impetus to the tourism industry every year. In 2022, the award-winning project "AllTheStreet" exemplified the integration of videos and information from a user’s perspective into a map for real-time travel planning.

If Hong Kong develop a comparable product, visitors will be able to visit every photogenic spot and explore the city in depth by following the travel tips and videos shared by influencers on various social media platforms, which are integrated into an interactive navigation system. In addition to effectively disperse visitors to a wider range of attractions, it would balance the impact of tourism activities on locals. Hence, the goal of "tourism is everywhere" will likely be achieved.

Leveraging local I&T capabilities, the exchange platform probably can incorporate cutting-edge technological elements, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and interactive experiences, into every tourism activity so as to provide visitors with a richer and more diverse tourism experiences.

All the aforementioned latest measures under Blueprint 2.0 have demonstrated the Government's proactive response to industry feedback by taking into account various key stakeholders’ needs and adopting a multi-pronged approach to promote the development of local smart tourism. In the light of the rapid advancement in information technology, the tourism industry should harness the "smart transformation express" in order to seize future opportunities and further consolidate Hong Kong's position as a world-class premier tourist destination.