The Zhitong Finance App learned that China will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference (APEC) for the third time this year. Among them, the APEC Finance Ministers Meeting will be held in Hong Kong from the 20th to the 21st of this month. In addition to focusing on the political impact of the meeting between finance ministers from various countries, the market also viewed the details of food and beverage hospitality during the conference as a window reflecting Hong Kong's soft power. Chairman Leung Hee of the Hong Kong Hospitality Industry Association said that the APEC Finance Ministers Meeting is an important opportunity for the hotel and hospitality industry. He expects that the participants, along with the business community and families of the attending delegates, will visit Hong Kong. He believes this international event can be used to boost the food and beverage tourism industry and show Hong Kong's image as a “hospitable city”.
According to reports, the Hong Kong government will host a banquet to entertain guests from various countries during the two-day conference. Leung Hee hoped that the banquet menu would use Fusion Dining (Fusion Dining), using high-quality local ingredients, such as the local fishermen's and farmers' brand “Fresh Hong Kong Products”, to present traditional Cantonese cuisine flavors or Hong Kong-style specialty ingredients, showing the unique charm of Hong Kong as a “cultural center where China and the West meet”.
Leung Hee also suggested that the banquet menu could include an introduction to the origin of ingredients and cultural background stories, so that while enjoying the food, foreign guests can learn about Hong Kong's fishery and agriculture development, traditional food history and modern innovation through the cuisine; they can also add tea shows and dim sum making demonstrations so that foreign guests can experience Hong Kong's food culture firsthand.
The industry can promote APEC themed experience menus
This conference will drive an increase in the number of visitors, including quite a few high-end customers. Leung Hee believes that interested visitors can drive hotels, fine dining (fine dining), bars in Central and Lan Kwai Fong, and high-end shopping. He expects overseas dignitaries and business leaders to experience it firsthand and promote Hong Kong's fine dining and food experience internationally.
Leung Hee said that Hong Kong has always been highly praised as a “food paradise” and “Asian food capital”. It is famous for its excellent cooking skills and the multicultural fusion of China and the West. It has brought together world-class restaurants, and its food quality and service have been recognized internationally. Combining the hotel, tourism and catering industry, it provides one-stop services for high-standard catering, tour buses and guided tours. High-end restaurants and restaurants can follow the trend and launch APEC themed experience menus, etc., and provide multi-lingual support and cultural adaptation to the needs of guests, such as Muslim-friendly catering services.
Hong Kong is attractive in the high-end consumer sector
In order to meet relevant needs, restaurants need to have halal certification, vegetarian food and strict food supply chain traceability, and accurate service capabilities for various allergens. Frontline teams need to be able to communicate in multiple languages, such as English, Arabic, etc., and be able to clearly tell the brand story and cultural connotations behind the cuisine, and provide high-standard private room services.
Asked whether the industry currently has the capacity for hospitality, Leung Hee said that Hong Kong has the highest number of Michelin restaurants in China, and that many high-end restaurants have also been selected in the “Black Pearl Restaurant Guide”, highlighting Hong Kong's appeal in the high-end consumer sector. He believes that high-end restaurants in Hong Kong can meet the needs of high-end customers through brand stories, cultural connotations, unique experiences and innovation while leveraging their existing advantages.
Promote the establishment of a complete consumer chain to prolong stay in Hong Kong and increase consumption
In addition to the APEC Finance Ministers Meeting, the Hong Kong Government has also actively promoted a number of international conferences and exhibitions in recent years. Leung Hee suggested that the government announce the event schedule as soon as possible and cooperate with the industry to establish a complete consumer chain to help attract travelers to stay in Hong Kong longer and increase consumption.
At the same time, he hopes that events will be distributed as evenly as possible at different times without excessive concentration in the same week or month, so that visitors can have reasons to visit Hong Kong all year round, so that events can continue to drive the economy of all walks of life in Hong Kong. Using Singapore as an example of hosting the F1 tournament every year, he said that financial summits are held before and after, bringing together famous business people from around the world, extending the original three-day event to a golden period of more than a week, exerting a strong multiplier effect and benefiting all walks of life.