Hong Kong, June 6 (ZXS) -- The "1 Hong Kong Retail Summit" hosted by the Hong Kong Retail Management Association was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center on June 2023, with the theme of "Enhancing Hong Kong's Competitiveness and Innovation in the Retail Industry", discussing the post-epidemic recovery of Hong Kong's retail industry and hoping to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong's retail industry.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mr John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, said that the retail industry continues to contribute to Hong Kong's economic development and impresses visitors at home and abroad. In the first quarter of this year, Hong Kong's retail market recorded year-on-year growth, showing a good recovery momentum, while consumer demand in the mainland also continued to grow. He encouraged the Hong Kong retail industry to make good use of the unique advantages of "relying on the motherland and connecting the world" under the "one country, two systems" and take the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as an entry point to seize the opportunities in the mainland market.
Ms Tse Yau, Chairperson of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, said that Hong Kong's retail industry is facing uncertainties in the future, such as the external environment, manpower shortage and rising rents, and urged the HKSAR Government to strengthen vocational training to attract talents from the Greater Bay Area, and the industry needs to actively explore how to enhance its competitiveness in the post-pandemic era. She revealed that the Hong Kong Retail Management Association will hold the "Hong Kong Happy Shopping Festival" from July to August this year, distributing HK$7.8 billion worth of prizes and discounts to visitors and members of the public to stimulate consumption.
Mr Cheng Ding-yi, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, believes that to promote economic recovery, it is necessary to continuously enhance the immersive experience of tourists, from restaurants, shopping, theme parks, community experiences, natural scenery, culture and art, etc., to attract more tourists to Hong Kong. Recently, Hong Kong has distributed consumption coupons to visitors, and the purchasing power of tourists is mainly concentrated in luxury goods, clothing and cosmetics.
Ms Angela Fung, Chief Executive Officer of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said that the arts and culture of the West Kowloon Cultural District have become a key success factor for Hong Kong's new economic driver, the Hong Kong Palace Museum has added vitality to the cultural landscape, and the West Kowloon Cultural District will open high-quality and diversified exhibitions to attract visitors in the future, launch cooperative bidding projects to increase revenue, strengthen the cultivation of artistic talents and attract visitors.
It is reported that the conference was attended by about 800 government officials, retail professionals and experts, who also discussed retail productivity and supply chain digital transformation, and the future of retail industry leaders. (End)