HK starts festive year with Chinese New Year parade

Monday, February 15, 2010
HONG KONG: Set to take place on the first evening of the Chinese New Year (14 February), the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade organized by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will follow a new route in Tsim Sha Tsui this year.

As the premiere event of Festive Hong Kong 2010, the spectacle will offer visitors and residents the opportunity of experiencing some of the world’s most unique festivals and Hong Kong’s cultural fusion.

HKTB Chairman James Tien said: “Hong Kong enjoys a global reputation for its vibrant Chinese New Year celebrations, which give the perfect setting for rolling out our annual marketing platform Festive Hong Kong 2010, when we will show to the world the excitement that awaits our visitors.

“As the global economy begins to show signs of recovery and the Chinese New Year holiday is traditionally a peak travel season for visitors from the Mainland and other short-haul markets, our promotional budget for the source markets will be doubled to more than HK$15 million, of which 45% will be invested in the Mainland,”

Tien continued. “Working in co-operation with industry partners in various markets, we will promote tour packages themed on Chinese New Year. Our provisional projection is that the visitor arrivals during the Chinese New Year holiday will increase by about 10% over the same period of last year.”

For the 12th consecutive year, Cathay Pacific Airways is the title sponsor of the Parade. Mr. Tony Tyler, Chief Executive of Cathay Pacific Airways said, “Cathay Pacific is proud to once again have its name attached to the International Chinese New Year Night Parade.

As Hong Kong’s home airline, Cathay Pacific is committed to staging events that help make our city an even more vibrant place to be. What’s great about this spectacular parade is the way it brings together tens of thousands of local people and tourists to celebrate one of the most important times in the Chinese calendar.”

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