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The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr Gregory So, continued his five-day visit to Japan today (May 16) and promoted Hong Kong's attractions as a tourist destination for great food at the Chinese Food Exhibition 2012 in Tokyo.
The exhibition, held by the Japan Association of Chinese Cuisine, is an annual event promoting the culinary skills and diverse tastes synonymous with Chinese cooking. It is strongly supported by the Japan Tourism Agency and top Japanese Chinese chefs.
Delivering a keynote speech at the exhibition, Mr So said that he is fully aware of the importance of Chinese cuisine to Hong Kong's culture and its economy.
"In Hong Kong, there are over 12 000 eateries. Most of these are Chinese restaurants serving not only our native Cantonese cuisine, but culinary treats from across China including Shanghai, Sichuan, Fujian and Inner Mongolia, to name just a very few.
"Our tens of millions of tourists each year also enjoy the wonderful adventure of sampling different regional delicacies. In 2011, we welcomed a record of almost 42 million visitors to our city. They spent a total of around HK$20 billion, or some 208 billion Japanese Yen, on dining out in Hong Kong. Around 1.3 million visitors were from Japan, making this country our third largest source of inbound tourists last year," Mr So noted.
Mr So added that he was very encouraged to see the great interest and high quality of Chinese cuisine in Japan, and he hoped even more Japanese friends hence would be attracted to visit Hong Kong.
Other Hong Kong guests who officiated at the exhibition included the Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), Mr James Tien; the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), Mr Fred Lam; and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Hotels Association, Mr Felix Bieger.
The HKTB ran a booth at the exhibition to showcase classic Chinese dishes from Hong Kong's Best of the Best Culinary Awards for food lovers. The HKTB also arranged for one of Hong Kong's top chefs to demonstrate the preparation and cooking of his award-winning dim sum speciality, King of Shrimp Dumpling, at the exhibition.
Before concluding his visit to Japan, Mr So will go to Osaka to attend the HKTDC's "Think Global, Think Hong Kong" Symposium to promote Hong Kong's key advantages, and he will meet with the Vice Governor of Hyogo, Mr Kazuo Kanazawa, tomorrow (May 17).
Ends/Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:26
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