Wine, festivals & multi-country travel: HKTB’s new Canadian director charts Hong Kong’s next chapter

Cherry candy foie gras served in a cloud of dry-ice fog, lychee shrimp balls, pear-shaped dumplings, charcoal lava buns and a pastry shaped like a swan.

Talk about an entrance!

At Toronto’s upscale Lai Wah Heen restaurant inside the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel on Wednesday (May 27), media guests gathered for an upscale dim sum and tea experience, put on by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to introduce its new director for Canada, Beverly Cheng.

In between delicate bites and sips, Cheng, who is based in Toronto, greeted journalists in a private dining room, at a large round table – topped with a massive lazy Susan – by describing her new job as one that feels profoundly personal.

“This role is deeply meaningful to me,” said Cheng. “It's not just a job. Not only is my family from Hong Kong, but I've also developed my own connection, having lived and worked there for 10 years.”

“I am very passionate about arts and culture and bringing that to life. I'm also very passionate about where I come from, which is Hong Kong, and introducing it to Canadians.”

From arts journalist to global comms pro  

As one who is fluent in English, Cantonese, and French (with an intermediate proficiency in Spanish), Cheng brings a uniquely global perspective.

She began her career in Hong Kong as an arts journalist, immersing herself in the city’s creative scene and witnessing its evolution into a thriving global arts hub.

She later held senior communications roles with global hospitality brands, including Marriott International, where she led communications for a portfolio of 16 hotel brands across Asia Pacific.

Most recently, Cheng served as head of marketing, communications and visitor experience at The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery in Toronto.

Now, in her new position with HKTB, she is focused on strengthening partnerships and delivering compelling, insight-driven campaigns that inspire Canadians to experience Hong Kong through stories and moments that can only be found in the city.

Her strategy for growing Canadian arrivals goes beyond traditional tourism campaigns.

Cheng and her team, for one, are pouring their efforts into new wine partnerships between Canada and Hong Kong.

She’s also watering relationships with regional Asian airlines to create dual-destination packages that combine Hong Kong with other fast-growing destinations in Asia.

Canadian arrivals are surging

The timing could not be better.

According to Cheng, Canadian arrivals to Hong Kong are on a strong upward trajectory.

“Hong Kong continues to be a top destination for Canadian travellers. Last year alone, we welcomed more than 360,000 people, which is a 13 per cent increase,” she said.

“Hong Kong is among the top three destinations in Asia that has the highest growth for Canadian travellers.”

She believes Hong Kong’s appeal lies in its extraordinary diversity of experiences packed into one highly-connected city.

“Canadians value travel – and they travel for many different reasons,” she said. “People travel for culinary reasons, for unique cultural and authentic touch points, and for adventure. And I think Hong Kong captures all of these things,” Cheng explained.

Urban energy, outdoor adventure, world-class events

Food, unsurprisingly, remains one of Hong Kong’s strongest selling points.

“Once you come to Hong Kong, you'll realize that we have more than 70 Michelin-starred restaurants, as well as 16,000-plus-plus-plus restaurants,” she said. “And those are the restaurants with licenses. That doesn’t include the Dai Pai Dongs [food stalls] and the street eats.”

Accessibility and convenience are also central to Hong Kong’s appeal, particularly for first-time visitors to Asia.

“In terms of connectivity, Hong Kong is within four hours to any major Asian hub,” Cheng said. “Once you're in the city, you'll realize how convenient it is to get from the city centre to a stunning hiking trail, within 30 minutes by taxi or subway.”

That balance between urban energy and outdoor adventure is something Cheng believes sets Hong Kong apart from competing destinations.

But perhaps the city’s biggest tourism advantage lies in its calendar of world-class events.

Cheng pointed to the recently-concluded Hong Kong Rugby Sevens and the upcoming International Dragon Boat Races, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary next month.

Later this year, in late October, comes the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival – an event Cheng is particularly excited about because of newly-formed Canadian connection.

“This is the first year that we will be bringing a delegation of Canadian wineries, wine clubs, and a top Canadian wine critic, Tony Aspler, to Hong Kong to represent Canadian wine to the Hong Kong and Asian market,” she said.

Wine tourism & the Canadian connection  

The initiative reflects one of Cheng’s major tourism strategies: wine partnerships, as a bridge between Canada and Hong Kong.

“Hong Kong is a top wine-trading hub in the world in terms of volume and scale because of its zero duty and tax free,” Cheng explained. “That's why it's so amazing for us to bring Canadian wineries there and showcase the strength of our wines.”

The wine initiative will go even further in Canada. Cheng said the HKTB team is currently developing travel packages with six tour operators that will highlight Canadian wines while encouraging Canadians to travel to Hong Kong.

“We're working with six to 12 wineries to represent the best of Canadian wine, particularly the emerging trend of orange wine, and to have a pavilion at the festival,” she told PAX.

The culinary collaborations will also feature celebrity chefs with Canadian ties.

The team is working with key celebrities in the field: notably, Masterchef Canada’s Alvin Leung and Michael Bonacini.

“They're going to be doing different partnerships, both in Toronto and in Hong Kong, as part of the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival,” Cheng noted.

Year-round reasons to go

Beyond wine and gastronomy, Cheng highlighted an ambitious lineup of celebrations that turn Hong Kong into a year-round destination.

Fall and winter, she said, are especially exciting.

“We of course have the Mid-Autumn festival in September,” Cheng said. “It’s a traditional Chinese festival that celebrates the autumn moon, and this year, we’re scaling up the events.”

One enhancement will be an expanded lantern festival that transforms the celebration into a citywide experience.

Hocus pocus season is also major draw.

“Hong Kong is a key Asian gateway and destination for Halloween,” Cheng shared. “People travel from across Asia to celebrate Halloween. It's an entire month and people love getting in costumes.”

Then comes New Year’s Eve, where the city plans to revive its fireworks celebrations in dramatic fashion after last year’s cancellation (a decision made in the wake of a devastating fire in Tai Po).

“We're bringing back fireworks,” Cheng said. “It’s going to be bigger than ever.”

Chinese New Year and Hong Kong Art March, in March, round out a packed events calendar.

Bring on multi-country travel

Cheng’s broader vision for Canada is deeply segmented and strategic.

Rather than marketing Hong Kong to one type of traveller, she sees multiple opportunities across Canada’s multicultural population.

She pointed first to Chinese-Canadian travellers who frequently return to Hong Kong to visit family.

“We’re trying to incentivize them with better price points, maybe some kind of like loyalty program, where they buy multiple trips in one go,” Cheng said. “Because this group might go to Hong Kong three, four or five times a year.”

She also sees major potential among second-generation Canadians and the broader Asian diaspora looking to reconnect with cultural roots.

“If they're already going east, to Asia, how do we incentivize them to stop over in Hong Kong and have a good time?” she asked.

That strategy has prompted HKTB to work closely not only with airlines like Cathay Pacific and Air Canada, which offer direct flights to Hong Kong from Canada, but also with regional Asian airlines.

“We're exploring partnerships with regional carriers,” Cheng said. “We have a partnership with Korean Airlines, but we’re exploring others so that we can incentivize travel advisors and OTAs to package trips [with other destinations].”

Vietnam is one example.

“We're seeing strong demand for Vietnam. It’s an emerging Asian destination for Canadian travellers,” she said. “So, we’ll be offering packages that combine both Vietnam and Hong Kong.”

The concept is simple but powerful: encourage Canadians already travelling to Asia to maximize their trips by adding Hong Kong as a gateway destination.

At the same time, Cheng wants to position Hong Kong as the ideal entry point for Canadians who have never travelled to Asia before.

“Hong Kong is easy,” she said. “People speak English, there's signage in English, transportation is really connected, it's super safe. You can integrate so seamlessly into Hong Kong.”

Visa-free mainland China = endless opportunities

The recent introduction of visa-free travel for Canadians visiting mainland China is another development Cheng believes will boost tourism.

“Previously, the visa to mainland China was an extensive process and it was expensive. With mainland China waiving it for trips up to 30 days, that's huge.”

Hong Kong, which was already visa-free for Canadians, stands to benefit from increased multi-destination travel throughout the region.

“The opportunities for travel are endless,” said Cheng. “If you're already going that way, why not go to Hong Kong? There's no barrier of entry. It’s easy.”

Ultimately, Cheng believes Hong Kong’s strength lies in its ability to constantly reinvent itself for returning visitors.

“There's something to satisfy every travel need,” she said. “With Hong Kong's connectivity, convenience, and diversity, you can keep coming back, again and again, because no two trips are ever the same.”

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