The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (Toronto) (HKETO) welcomed over 120 guests and friends to celebrate the Year of the Dragon together at a spring reception jointly hosted with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (Canada) (HKTB) on February 8. Business, cultural, academia and community partners came together and learned about the latest developments of Hong Kong on its economic and cultural fronts.
In her welcoming speech at the reception, the Director of the HKETO, Ms Emily Mo, shared pleasing economic-related figures with the guests, including a forecast of 3.2 per cent GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth of Hong Kong in 2023, an as-low-as 2.9 per cent overall unemployment rate, a new record of the number of start-ups setting up in Hong Kong, and new policies and measures introduced to connect Hong Kong with other markets.
“Looking forward, we are facing a challenging global economy filled with complexities. Nevertheless, with the institutional advantages of Hong Kong under ‘one country, two systems’, Hong Kong is prepared and inspired to create and present opportunities for the city and everyone who sees it as their destination for business, career or personal growth,” she said.
Turning to cultural aspects, Ms Mo pointed out that international major events bearing strategic significance for Hong Kong all returned to Hong Kong, and some even grew in scale.
She said, “Hong Kong has been presenting its charm as the Events Capital of Asia to the world. In anticipating the full recovery of its flight connection capacity this year, we will stage over 80 mega events in the city in the first half of this year.”
At the reception, the Director for Americas of the HKTB, Mr Michael Lim, shared with participants the HKTB’s achievements in 2023 and tourism marketing initiatives in 2024. “Over the past year, we welcomed 34 million visitors,” said Mr Lim. “The dynamic Night Vibes Hong Kong campaign has brought new life to Hong Kong’s night scene as we showcase our city’s unique metropolitan charm.”
Hong Kong kicked off 2024 with the biggest and longest New Year countdown fireworks musical ever. Mr Lim added that there will be an action-packed calendar of events and festivals, including Arts in Hong Kong with Art Basel returning to full scale. This year, Art Central is expected to be the fair’s largest and most dynamic since its introduction in 2015. Together with Art@Harbour and the WestK FunFest, these events position Hong Kong as one of the world’s top arts destinations and as an arts hub in Asia. Sporting events will continue, such as Hong Kong Sevens in April and much more.
This year, the HKETO invited an award-winning team of kendama players from Hong Kong to perform in Canada at its spring receptions to celebrate the Lunar New Year. Guests enjoyed the eye-opening tricks, the energetic power and the fun and joy brought by the young performers.
In closing, Ms Mo invited the guests to visit Hong Kong to experience its unique East-meets-West culture and seize the tremendous opportunities presented by Asia's world city.
香港經貿處與香港旅發局合辦新春酒會慶祝龍年
香港駐多倫多經濟貿易辦事處（香港經貿處）與香港旅遊發展局（加拿大）（香港旅發局）二月八日在多倫多合辦農曆新春酒會，邀請逾120位嘉賓友好一同慶賀龍年來臨。商界、文化界、學術界及社區賢達聚首一堂，了解香港最新的經濟和文化發展。
香港經貿處處長巫菀菁在酒會致歡迎辭時，分享肯定香港經濟發展的數字，包括二○二三年香港的人均經濟增長預測為3.2%，總失業率低至2.9%，以及在香港設立的初創企業數目刷下新紀錄，多項新政策及措施出台亦有助加強香港與其他市場聯繫。
巫菀菁說：「展望將來，環球經濟形勢複雜，充滿挑戰。然而，憑藉『一國兩制』的制度優勢，香港已準備就緒，為本港及選擇在港拓展業務、建立事業或作個人發展的人士，提供和創造新機遇。」
文化方面，巫菀菁指出，對香港別具策略性意義的國際大型活動經已悉數回歸香港，部分甚至比以往更具規模。
她說：「香港一直向世界展示其亞洲盛事之都的魅力，預計今年航班載客量將全面恢復，香港首半年將舉行超過80場大型活動。」
香港旅發局美洲總監林兒銘亦在酒會上向與會者分享香港旅發局二○二三年的成就及二○二四年的旅遊推廣計劃。他指出：「過去一年，我們曾招待3 400萬名旅客。『香港夜繽紛』活動豐富，為香港夜生活迎來新氣象，成功展示香港獨特的大都會色彩。」
踏入二○二四年，香港就舉行了歷年最大規模、為時最長的跨年倒數煙花音樂匯演。林兒銘續指，今年的重點活動和節慶一浪接一浪，隨着巴塞爾藝術展全面回復原來規模，「藝聚香港」亦將繼續舉行，今年的Art Central將會是自二○一五年展開以來最盛大、最豐富，加上「藝術＠維港」和「西九家FUN藝術節」，香港銳意成為其中一個世界頂尖的藝術之都和亞洲藝術中心。體育盛事方面，香港國際七人欖球賽將於四月續辦，其他精彩節目多不勝數。
今年，香港經貿處邀請獲獎無數的香港劍球隊伍成員到訪加拿大在新春酒會獻技，以賀龍年。年輕運動員技藝精湛，劍球招式出神入化，精彩表演令一眾嘉賓大開眼界。
最後，巫菀菁邀請嘉賓親臨香港體驗中西文化薈萃的獨特一面，並把握亞洲國際都會提供的龐大機遇。
