LCQ15: Enhancing the travel information platform
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The Chief Executive's 2026 Policy Address proposes that the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will enhance Discover Hong Kong's digital platform, launch a new mobile application (new app) to consolidate the ticket stub offers of mega events, and provide one-stop contact services to connect event organisers with the relevant trades. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) whether it knows (i) the respective ratio of new to returning visitors, number of pageviews, and engagement rates of the Discover Hong Kong website, as well as the number of clicks and outbound clicks from the offer-related pages to merchants or booking platforms for each year from 2023 to 2025, and if the HKTB does not have the relevant data, of the reasons for that; and (ii) whether it will explore other ways to estimate the actual spending or conversion rate generated through such links; if so, of the details;
(2) how the new app and the existing Discover Hong Kong platform will integrate with each other; whether the HKTB will establish a data collection and effectiveness evaluation mechanism to keep track of the browsing, redemption and actual usage of ticket stub offers; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the HKTB will formulate key performance indicators for the new app, covering the usage rate of offers and the relevant spending amounts, so as to assess the effect of ticket stub offers in driving spending for merchants in the vicinity of mega event venues;
(3) of the effectiveness of the HKTB's current promotion on social media such as Instagram and Facebook, including the respective statistics on the number of followers, engagement rate and reach on each platform; whether the HKTB has plans to utilise the existing promotional channels on social media to direct online attention to Discover Hong Kong and the upcoming new app, so as to better drive the promotion of ticket stub offers; if it has, of the specific promotional strategies, timetable and resources involved; if not, the reasons for that; and
(4) whether the HKTB will cooperate with local and overseas e-commerce, travel booking and ticketing platforms to promote integration between the new app and such platforms in the promotion and use of offers; if so, of the details?
Reply:
President,
Discover Hong Kong (DHK) serves as the Hong Kong Tourism Board's (HKTB) one-stop travel information platform, bringing together information on sightseeing attractions, local cuisine, culture and arts as well as large-scale mega events, etc, to provide visitors with all-round itinerary planning guidance and practical travel information. It was mentioned in the 2026 Policy Address that the DHK platform will be enhanced, providing visitors with a wider range of travel information on attractions, cuisine, culture, and mega events, etc. Third-party partners will also be invited to launch a new mobile application that consolidates ticket stub offers for mega events hosted and promoted by the HKTB, thereby further extending the economic benefits of mega events.
In response to the question raised by the Hon Ken Lee, our reply is as follows:
(1) The HKTB has been closely monitoring the operational performance and promotional effectiveness of the DHK platform. Relevant statistics from 2023 to 2025 are set out below:
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Annual Page Views | 21 million (Note 1) |
33 million | 38 million |
| Average Pages Per Visit | 1.4 pages | 1.4 pages | 1.7 pages |
| Average Time Spent Per Visit | 4 minutes | 4 minutes | 5 minutes |
| Page Views for the "Offers" Section | 0.79 million | 1.35 million | 1.50 million |
| Clicks Directed from the "Offers" Section to Merchant Websites, Booking Platforms, and Other Promotion Pages | 160 000 | 310 000 | Approx. 460 000 |
As regards the ratio of new to returning visitors, website analytics tools currently rely on Cookies or similar technologies to identify users. Such data is easily affected by factors such as users changing devices, browser settings, and privacy protection measures, etc, making it difficult to accurately distinguish between first-time and returning visitors. Therefore, the HKTB does not maintain statistics on such ratios.
Regarding the actual consumption or conversion rate derived via the links, the promotional information pages on the DHK primarily feature various offers provided by the trade and direct users to the relevant merchants' platforms via these links for further enquiries, bookings, and consumption, etc. As transaction and consumption details on third-party platforms constitute commercial operation data of the respective merchants, the HKTB does not possess such information. Meanwhile, the DHK also provides offers launched by the HKTB in collaboration with the trade, enabling the public and visitors to redeem offers directly through designated platforms of the HKTB or its partners. The HKTB uses relevant download and usage data for evaluating the effectiveness of promotional activities. For instance, in the Hong Kong Summer Deals consumer offers launched by the HKTB this summer, the public and visitors downloaded a total of 290,000 coupons across platforms of the HKTB and its partners, achieving a final redemption rate of 45 per cent.
(2) The HKTB is currently planning and exploring a new mobile application to centrally consolidate ticket stub offers for mega events hosted and promoted by the HKTB. This aims to facilitate the public and visitors' access to, and merchants' promotion and provision of ticket stub offers. Specific details will be announced in due course. The HKTB will set various performance indicators, including page views and coupon download figures, etc, to comprehensively evaluate the promotional effectiveness and practical benefits of the new mobile application.
(3) The HKTB currently operates a total of 12 official social media channels globally, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, X, YouTube, Douyin, WeChat, LinkedIn, Xiaohongshu, Weibo, and QQ, with a cumulative follower base exceeding 14 million and content reach surpassing 5.9 billion.
The HKTB has all along formulated targeted promotional strategies to cater for the characteristics of various social media platforms as well as the preferences and needs of their user bases. By leveraging formats such as posts, short videos, live streaming, and thematic content, the HKTB promotes Hong Kong's tourism products, mega events, and unique experiences, while making good use of diversified marketing channels and media to enhance promotional effectiveness. For instance, the HKTB includes links to the DHK event promotional pages within its social media content to facilitate visitors and the public's access to event details and related promotional offers, while further directing them to the platforms of relevant merchants to foster direct connections between visitors/ the public and merchants.
To tie in with the launch of the new mobile application, the HKTB also plans to conduct promotional and publicity campaigns across various social media platforms to encourage the public and visitors to use the application. The above promotional and publicity work has been subsumed into the HKTB's overall marketing budget and cannot be separately quantified.
(4) The HKTB has all along maintained close collaboration with airlines, hotels, travel agents, online travel platforms, payment platforms, and ticketing platforms, etc, to expand the exposure of Hong Kong's tourism products and offers. The HKTB will continue to explore the feasibility of collaborating with different platforms, including examining how to effectively enhance interface with the upcoming mobile application to further promote ticket stub offers to visitors.
Ends/Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:44
Issued at HKT 12:44
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