Peter Lam to return as chair of Hong Kong Tourism Board, ex-commerce chief to replace him at trade body
Hong Kong Free Press
Peter Lam is set to return as chair of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), replacing outgoing chief Pang Yiu-kai on April 1.
Lam, 67, served as HKTB chair from 2013 to 2019. He currently heads the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and is chair of Lai Sun Group.
Lam will serve as the HKTB chief until March 31, 2028, according to a Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau announcement on Wednesday.
New members Jeffrey Lam, Nikki Ng, and Melissa Kaye Pang will also join the HKTB on April 1.
The new Hong Kong Tourism Board, commencing April 1, 2025 – click to view.
Dr Peter Lam Kin-ngok (Chairman)
Commissioner for Tourism (Deputy Chairman) with Deputy Commissioner for Tourism as alternate member
Mr Abraham Chan
Mr Dennis Chow Chi-in
Ms Margaret Fong Shun-man
Dr Allen Fung Yuk-lun
Mrs Gianna Hsu Wong Mei-lun
Ms Mary Huen Wai-yi
Mrs Ann Kung Yeung Yun-chi
Ms Rebecca Kwan Shuk-wah
Mr Jeffrey Lam Kin-fung
Ms Lavinia Lau Hoi-zee
Ms Nikki Ng Mien-hua
Ms Melissa Kaye Pang
Dr Chloe Suen Yin-wah
Mr Ricky Szeto Wing-fu
Mr Richard Tsang Lap-ki
Mr James Wong Cheuk-on
Professor Simon Wong Kit-lung
Mr Ronald Wu Keng-hou
Ex-commerce chief Frederick Ma, 72, will succeed Lam as HKTDC chair for two years from June 1.
Ma currently sits on the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers and is the non-executive chair of FWD Group.
As the outgoing HKTB chair, Pang saw the board through the Covid-19 pandemic and recent tourism reboot, though visitor arrivals have failed to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Pang said he wished Peter Lam every success in an HKTB statement on Wednesday.
“It has been my honour and privilege to serve our community as Chairman of HKTB during these very challenging six years,” Pang said. “I am very grateful to the Government, the travel trade, my fellow HKTB members and the team for the support they have given me throughout the years.”
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law said in the department’s press release that Lam possesses rich experience in promoting local tourism.
“I am confident that under Dr Lam’s leadership, the Board will advance further while promoting Hong Kong worldwide and showcasing its charms, so that visitors will indulge in pleasure when staying in Hong Kong, thinking about Hong Kong, and returning time and again,” she said.
Tourism reboot
Hong Kong recorded 44.5 million visitors in 2024, according to provisional government figures, falling short of earlier forecasts and lagging far below the record high of 65 million in 2018.
See also: Mainland Chinese tourists use social media to search for memorable Hong Kong locations
Protests and unrest in 2019 put a dent in Hong Kong’s tourism industry, while stringent Covid-19 curbs effectively sealed the city off for the better part of three years before the border fully reopened in early 2023. Independent tourists from the mainland have been spending less and staying for shorter periods.
The government has sought to position Hong Kong as the “events capital of Asia,” highlighting existing large-scale happenings such as the Hong Kong Sevens, Art Basel Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Marathon to drive tourism. However, the HKTB acknowledged last March that visitors in 2024 were expected to spend 16 per cent less in Hong Kong than the previous year.
Following a surprise reshuffle at the top of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau early last December, the government later that month unveiled a five-year development blueprint for the city’s tourism industry with the intention of boosting its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product to around 5 per cent by 2029.
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