Nearly 10 applicants competed for the volunteer visitor host position as the Hong Kong Tourism Board strives to improve the quality of its services.
The committee said on Sunday that the Hong Kong Pals volunteer programme, which began in 2009, had received a record 440 applications but only 48 were selected.
The new volunteers come from all walks of life, including university students, recent graduates, lawyers, engineers, school and university staff and civil servants, bringing the total number of people on the program to 107.
“With the knowledge and skills they gain in various fields, volunteers will be able to work on the frontline, providing timely and customised travel advice from a local perspective, and showcasing Hong Kong’s unique spirit of hospitality,” said Ms Alice Lee Wah, the council’s general manager of enterprise.
Over the three months until October, the volunteers will take part in training in communications, itinerary planning and photography, as well as workshops and guided tours.
The committee said it plans to work with existing volunteers to hit the streets in November to meet visitors.
Hong Kong Pals’ newest group of volunteers will be deployed to help tourists make the most of their trip to Hong Kong. Photo: Jerry TseVolunteer Leonard Tso, who works in the financial industry and speaks fluent Korean, said that after successfully joining the tourism team, he hopes to give tourists a real feel for Hong Kong and make their trip more memorable.
Each volunteer is required to attend at least 10 sessions (30 hours total) during their appointment.
Its bases will be at Tsim Sha Tsui Star Ferry Terminal, the airport, Kai Tak Cruise Terminal at Ocean Terminal, West Kowloon Station and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge tourism visitor centre.
The committee said volunteers and frontline visitor service team members provided advice to more than two million visitors and answered 2.3 million enquiries between April and March 2023.
The city welcomed 3.4 million tourists in May, a 20% increase compared to the same month in 2023.
However, this figure is just 57% of the 5.9 million tourists recorded in May 2019, before the pandemic.
The tourism board launched the “Let’s Go the Extra Mile” hospitality campaign in June to tackle poor service from taxi drivers, retailers and restaurants.
The initiative was designed to encourage frontline staff in the industry to adopt a more friendly and welcoming attitude towards visitors.
