Picture: Global Business Daily Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Tourism Economy Summit Forum site

[Ta Kung Pao News] Under the overlapping and multiplying effects of the two national strategies of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and the Shenzhen Pilot Demonstration Zone, the tourism industry in the Greater Bay Area has ushered in a historic blowout development opportunity. Professor Wu Zhicai, director of the Guangdong Tourism Strategy and Policy Research Center at South China University of Technology, predicts that in the next ten years, the investment scale of the tourism industry in the Greater Bay Area will reach 10 trillion yuan (RMB, the same below), mainly concentrated in ten fields, including health and wellness tourism, transportation tourism, marine tourism, urban leisure, style towns, rural residence, cultural and creative performing arts, experiential agriculture, study tourism, and technology tourism.

Wu Zhicai, who is also the director of the Guangdong Provincial Rural Revitalization and Tourism Big Data Engineering Technology Research Center, made the above remarks at the "Global Business News Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Tourism Economy Summit Forum" held in Shenzhen. He also pointed out that from the analysis of market participation, the current era of dual-driven development of the Greater Bay Area and demonstration zones has entered. The tourism economic ties between cities have gradually become closer, and the leading role of leading cities has become more and more obvious. Tourism cooperation development and investment have gradually evolved from multi-core leadership to network development. The Greater Bay Area has become a national full-region tourism demonstration zone with rare advantages. For example, it has the advantages of open policy, industrial economic vitality, market-driven investment, and public facilities support.

Four paths to create a tourist-friendly Bay Area

Wu Zhicai suggested that the tourism development of the Greater Bay Area should follow four paths, including activating mountains, rivers and seas to create an ecological Bay Area; integrating cultural and creative tourism to create a cultural Bay Area; extending cities and towns to create a leisure Bay Area; and integrating medical and health care to create a healthy Bay Area. Realize value fission through cultural tourism empowerment and investment upgrades. From the perspective of the Greater Bay Area Tourism City Cooperation Circle, he is optimistic about the Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaozhou Tourism City Cooperation Circle, the Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Dongguan-Huizhou Tourism City Cooperation Circle, and the Zhuhai-Macao-Zhongjiang Tourism City Cooperation Circle.

At the forum, Yan Ansheng, editor-in-chief of the Hong Kong Economic Herald, analyzed a large amount of data and judged that with the upgrading and transformation of the economic development of the entire Greater Bay Area, in the next 10 to 15 years, the number of tourists exported to the country will double, and the number of tourists to the Greater Bay Area is also expected to double. He believes that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is the birthplace of China's mid-to-high-end tourism industry, and high-end consumption, light luxury travel, luxury enjoyment, and customized services will be greatly popularized. In the next 30 years, the Greater Bay Area will become the leader of China's tourism industry and tourism fashion. The tourism industry and market in the Greater Bay Area are expected to expand explosively, and their ability to radiate domestic and international tourism industries will continue to increase. Cooperation opportunities and resource integration in the tourism industry will emerge in endlessly.

Shenzhen is the most promising hotel investment

Lin Hezhong, chairman of the Hong Kong Inbound Tourism Reception Association and founding chairman of the Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao Hotel General Managers Association, said in his speech that looking at the country, the prerequisite for hotel investment, construction and management profitability is to pay attention to the development trend of the large region. Many factors prove that the development foundation of Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao is different from other regions in China and has unparalleled development potential.

Among the nine mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Zhuhai are in the first echelon in terms of hotel room revenue, Foshan, Huizhou, and Dongguan are in the second echelon, and Zhongshan, Jiangmen, and Zhaoqing are in the third echelon. Shenzhen has the highest hotel room revenue. Although new hotels continue to open every year, demand is relatively strong, and it will still have a competitive advantage for some time in the future. Therefore, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai are the safest for hotel investment among the nine cities.

This forum is hosted by the Global Business Newspaper Alliance and hosted by Hong Kong Business Newspapers. Chen Yin, chairman of the Global Business News Alliance and president of Hong Kong Business News, said in his opening speech that in the future, with the strong support of the country, the Greater Bay Area will definitely be able to enhance cultural soft power, connect with developed tourism regions in the world, promote cultural exchanges between China and the West, and optimize the "transit visa-free" policy, etc. We will make comprehensive efforts to better develop scenic spots tours, cultural experience tours, business investment tours, and creative technology tours, so as to promote the tourism economy in the region to continue to develop towards a new, smart, personalized, and international development, and to build a world-class tourist destination with high quality and efficiency.