This undated photo shows a view of the Victoria Harbour in Hong Kong. (PHOTO / IC)

HONG KONG – Hong Kong is eyeing more Muslim tourists as the city enhances its ties with the Middle East, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung said Wednesday.

Answering a query at the Legislative Council, Yeung said the Hong Kong Tourism Board has been promoting Hong Kong Muslim tourism in the Middle East, including cooperating with the travel trade to launch promotions and offers, and setting up a Representative Office in Dubai.

“The Airport Authority Hong Kong and airlines will distribute free air tickets in the Middle East region later this year and the HKTB, in tandem, is planning to launch promotional activities,” he said.

Yeung said the HKTB is cooperating with key opinion leaders to introduce Hong Kong tourism appeal, organizing briefing sessions in the Middle East and arranging familiarization tours to entice more Muslim visitors to Hong Kong

Yeung said the HKTB is cooperating with key opinion leaders to introduce Hong Kong tourism appeal, organizing briefing sessions in the Middle East and arranging familiarization tours to entice more Muslim visitors to Hong Kong.

“The HKTB will work with travel trade which are serving high-end visitors to promote Hong Kong as a tourist destination among their Muslim high-end clients,” Yeung said.

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He said the HKTB has also collated a series of information for Muslim visitors on its DiscoverHongKong.com website, including gourmet food, hotel accommodation, local culture, and activities suitable for Muslim visitors in Hong Kong, to enhance their experience in Hong Kong.

To help enhance trade and people-to-people exchanges, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office opened in Dubai in October 2021.

“This is the first ETO in the area. Its opening is conducive to strengthening the ties between Hong Kong and our trading partners in the region,” Yeung said.

The M+ museums, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and the performing arts division of West Kowloon Cultural District have also been exploring cooperation opportunities with cultural and museum institutions in various places, including Qatar, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.

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Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Chairperson of Qatar Museums, visited M+ and the Hong Kong Palace Museum in March and met with the senior management of WKCD Authority.

“WKCD will continue to expand its collaboration with the mainland and other places, including Middle East region, contributing to the development of Hong Kong into an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange,” Yeung said.

He also noted that the Revised Junior Secondary History Curriculum has added the new topic of "The Rise of Islamic Civilisation and cultural interactions between Europe and Asia in medieval times" since its implementation in the 2020/21 school year, enabling junior secondary students to learn the history of Islamic civilization, and its achievements in the fields of culture, art, and society.

To strengthen education collaboration with Belt and Road countries and regions, the SAR government introduced scholarships for students in these places, including those from the Middle East, to pursue post-secondary programs in Hong Kong.

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The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau and the Youth Development Commission have also launched the Funding Scheme for International Youth Exchange to provide funding for non-governmental organizations to organize international exchange projects, including in the Middle East region for Hong Kong youth, Yeung added.