Tourism

In 2005, the tourism industry in Hong Kong consolidated the remarkable gains made in the previous year. A total of 23 million people visited Hong Kong in 2005, coming by land, sea and air.
The Mainland, Southeast Asia and Taiwan are the major sources of visitors.

Hong Kong is a unique meeting place for East and West, blending Chinese heritage, British colonial influences, high-tech modernity and Cantonese gusto. It offers a diversity of travel experiences, from shopping to gourmet dining, countryside pursuits and unique cultural heritage, including a great variety of religious institutions and preserved buildings like temples, monasteries, walled villages, clan halls and colonial structures.

Tourism Development
The Government attaches great importance to enhancing Hong Kong's attractiveness as a tourist destination. In 2006, Hong Kong saw the opening of the Hong Kong Wetland Park, Hong Kong's first major green tourism facility, and 'Ngong Ping 360', which is a scenic cable car system to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island. Other exciting projects being carried out include a pilot scheme to promote green tourism in the northeast New Territories, and beautification works at Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade, Stanley waterfront and the Peak.
'A Symphony of Lights', named the world's largest permanent light and sound show by Guinness World Records in November 2005, now covers over 30 buildings on both sides of Victoria Harbour. The Government earlier reached an agreement with The Walt Disney Company to build a world-class international theme park and hotels. Phase I of Hong Kong Disneyland, occupying 126 hectares on Lantau Island, opened in September 2005.

Immigration

After reunification, the HKSAR continues to have autonomy over its immigration control. It has a very liberal visa policy for visitors. People from more than 170 countries and territories may come to Hong Kong visa-free for visits lasting for seven to 180 days.

Professionals and business people are welcome to work and invest in Hong Kong. Persons applying for permission to reside, work or study in the HKSAR are required to obtain visas or entry permits before arrival. [ Immigration Department ]

Cross-boundary Traffic
Cross-boundary vehicular traffic has increased by 4 per cent in the past year, in the wake of the growth in economic and social ties between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Lo Wu is currently the only land crossing for rail passengers travelling to and from the Mainland. It operates nearly at full capacity, handling about 248 400 passengers on weekdays and 371 800 during festive seasons and at weekends. The Lo Wu crossing opens from 6.30 am to midnight.

In addition, 12 pairs of through trains operate daily between Kowloon and Guangdong cities.

Through-train services to and from Beijing and Shanghai operate on alternate days.

Lok Ma Chau, Sha Tau Kok and Man Kam To are the three road crossing points between Hong Kong and the Mainland. The three road crossings handle more than 40 200 vehicles per day. In 2005, more than 100 companies operated coach services across the boundary, and the daily passenger flow at the three crossings was 135 200. In addition, a shuttle bus service between Lok Ma Chau and Huanggang in Shenzhen carries 47 100 passengers daily. Operating hours are round the clock.

Ferry services to more than 20 Mainland ports and Macau are operated from the China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon and the Macau Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong Island. In 2005, passenger throughput for the Mainland and Macau was about 6.6 million and 12.6 million respectively. These passengers commuted on the world's largest fleet of high-speed ferries, including jetfoils and jet catamarans.

Inward and Outward Traffic
Hong Kong is one of the world's busiest ports in terms of vessel arrivals and departures. In 2005, some 463 700 vessel arrivals to and departures from Hong Kong were recorded. About 21.5 million passengers were carried.

The Hong Kong International Airport is also one of the busiest in the world. In 2005, 39.8 million passengers passed through the airport. Aircraft movements totalled more than 263 000.

Leisure and Culture

Leisure and culture provide opportunities for the people of Hong Kong to enrich their quality of life. The Government nurtures an environment in which freedom of creativity, pluralistic development of the arts, sporting excellence and recreation for the community can thrive. [ Leisure and Cultural Services Department ]

Cultural and Leisure Events
Hong Kong hosts a variety of cultural and leisure events, including the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong International Film Festival, International Arts Carnival, thematic arts festival, Hong Kong Flower Show and traditional festival celebration programmes.

Sporting Events
Major sporting events held in Hong Kong include the annual Rugby Sevens, Cricket Sixes, international horse races, lion dance championships and volleyball challenges; and tennis, squash, golf, cycling, badminton, tenpin bowling, athletics, football and lawn bowls tournaments. These events are organised in a sustained effort to promote Hong Kong as the 'Events Capital of Asia'.

Performing Venues
Hong Kong has a number of performing venues ranging in size from the 12 500-seat Hong Kong Coliseum to the 2 000-seat Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall and 450-seat community arts centres.

Museums
Hong Kong's mix of traditions, both Chinese and Western, historical and modern, can best be seen in its museums and galleries. Blessed by Hong Kong's cultural connections, they showcase some magnificent collections of Chinese antiquities as well as more modern objects of interest. There are stimulating interactive exhibits at the Hong Kong Science Museum and wide-screen Omnimax films and sky shows at the Hong Kong Space Museum. The Hong Kong Museum of Art houses some fine examples of ancient Chinese art. For those with a taste for beverages, exhibits recount the history and importance of tea in Chinese culture at the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Ware.

Country Parks
Country parks provide a valuable 'green belt' and are popular with hikers and nature lovers. There are 23 country parks and 15 special areas. Covering a total area of 41 644 hectares, they comprise scenic hills, woodlands, reservoirs, islands, indented coastlines, marshes and uplands. They are carefully protected for the purposes of nature conservation, outdoor recreation, countryside education, tourism and scientific studies. There are four marine parks and one marine reserve covering a total of 2 430 hectares. They comprise scenic coastal areas, seascapes and important biological habitats.

International Wetland Park
The Mai Po Marshes, listed as a 'Wetland of International Importance Especially as a Waterfowl Habitat' under the Ramsar Convention, form one of the most important wildlife conservation sites in Hong Kong. About 1 500 hectares of mudflats, fish ponds, marshes and dwarf mangroves provide a rich habitat, particularly for migratory and resident birds. Some 300 species of birds have been observed in this area, and about 120 of them are rarely seen elsewhere in Hong Kong.

Traditional Festivals

There are five major festivals in the Chinese calendar, with the Lunar New Year being the most important. Gifts and visits are exchanged among friends and relatives, and children receive 'lucky money'. During the Ching Ming Festival in spring, ancestral graves are visited. In early summer (fifth day of the fifth lunar month), the Dragon Boat Festival is celebrated with dragon boat races and by eating cooked glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month. Gifts of mooncakes, wine and fruit are exchanged, and adults and children go into parks and the countryside at night with colourful lanterns. Chung Yeung is on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, when many visit their ancestors' graves or hike up mountains in remembrance of an ancient Chinese family's escape from plague and death by fleeing to a mountain top. top