为了向全球展示香港全面复常下的新魅力、新发展、新机遇，特区政府推出“走出去、请客来”策略。行政长官李家超明日将展开中东之行，推广香港商机；昨日特区政府举行“你好，香港！”启动礼，公布一系列吸引旅客访港计划。50万张免费机票、100万份“香港有礼”消费礼券，加上全港1万6千家参与推广活动的店舖提供各类优惠，三招连发，先声夺人，威力十足，有望吸引更多旅客来港消费观光，带动本港经济全面复苏之余，亦可以推广香港的新机遇、形象和活力。

　　成功的品牌需要不间断的推广，一个城市的形象亦如是。过去的几年，香港经历非常时期，更有推广的迫切性。2019年香港爆发修例风波后，新冠疫情接踵而至，疫下三年香港几乎“与世隔绝”，令外界对香港产生陌生感，这不足为奇。一些不怀好意的人和组织一再妖魔化香港国安法，全力“唱衰”香港，也导致一些不明真相的人对香港产生误解，不愿意来港。

　　要让外间了解香港的真实情况，不外乎两个主要途径，一是主动走出去，向外推介；二是想方设法将游客请来，让他们亲身感受香港的现状。百闻不如一见，当旅客来港后，发现东方之珠魅力依然，特别是香港完全复常后，与国际社会和内地无缝链结，正在全力发展经济，一些误会自然消解。

　　与过去的香港相比，现时的香港其实是处在“变”与“不变”之间。说“变”，是香港黑暴不再，混乱不再，恢复了秩序和安宁，市民安居乐业，连街道也比以往更为整洁、美观，香港正变得越来越好；说“不变”，是香港的“一国两制”大政方针保持不变，基本法保障的各项权利和自由不变，香港的自由市场和国际都会的定位不变，“马照跑、舞照跳”的资本主义生活方式不变。早前香港举办贺年盃赛马活动，吸引八万人入场，投注额更打破历史纪录，这是当下香港持续繁荣稳定的最直观的体现。

　　来港的旅客也会看到，随着中国内地优化防疫措施，经济全面复苏，重新成为支撑全球经济发展的火车头和稳定器，近水楼台的香港是最大得益者。包括共建“一带一路”、粤港澳大湾区等国家战略将加快步伐，为香港经济复苏提供源头活水。李家超在春节后首访中东，正是“一带一路”中的重要国家。另外，香港被赋予“八大中心”的定位，包括国际创科中心及中外文化艺术交流中心，足证在香港回归祖国踏入26个年头的今天，香港的角色不是削弱了，而是加强了，这会增强国际社会对香港未来的信心。

　　而单就旅游资源来看，香港除了维港、两大主题公园等传统景点，近年新增M＋博物馆、香港故宫文化博物馆等，现代艺术和中国传统文化互相辉映，对游客更具独特吸引力。

　　如今全球各地都在加速复常，也都在拼命抢客，香港如何脱颖而出？大手笔不可少，“银弹”不可少，如此才有足够的吸引力。只要旅客愿意来港消费，这些付出是值得的，回报将数以倍计。更不必说，旅客回去后，将所见所闻广而告之，还原一个真实的香港，足以消除一些误解，这是花多少钱打广告都得不到的效果。可见“你好，香港！”等推广活动物有所值，最重要的是要将好事办好。

　　Reaching out to look for new opportunities, welcoming guests to show a fresh image

　　To show to the world Hong Kong's new charisma, new development and new opportunities following its full resumption of normal life, the SAR Government adopts the strategy of "reaching out and inviting guests". Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu will start a tour in the Middle East to promote opportunities in Hong Kong. The SAR Government yesterday officially commenced the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign, unveiling a series of measures to attract visitors to Hong Kong. There are half a million free air tickets to welcome tourists, at least one million "Hong Kong Goodies" visitor vouchers to give out, and an array of enticing welcoming offers from over 16,000 retail outlets across the city. These three incentives are launched successively to get an impressive head start, which are powerfully attractive and hopefully will lure more tourists to come to spend and do sight-seeing in Hong Kong. In addition to help push forward the full recovery of Hong Kong's economy, this could also promote Hong Kong's new opportunities, image and vitality.

　　A successful brand needs to be continuously promoted, so does a city's image. As Hong Kong has experienced an extraordinary period in the past few years, there is an urgency for it to promote its image. Following the Anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill Turmoil in 2019, came the Covid-19 epidemic. Hong Kong has been nearly "isolated from the world" in the past three years under the shadow of the epidemic, so much so that it becomes somewhat unfamiliar to the outside world. This not at all surprising. Some ill-disposed persons and organisations keep demonizing the Hong Kong national security law and bad-mouthing Hong Kong. Because of this, some people unaware of the truth have misunderstandings about Hong Kong and become unwilling to come to Hong Kong.

　　There are basically two ways to help the outside world better understand Hong Kong's reality. One is to take the initiative and reach out to promote Hong Kong; the other to try by every means to invite guests to come and visit so that they could experience first-hand Hong Kong's reality. Seeing is believing. After coming to Hong Kong, visitors would see that the Pearl of the Orient remains charismatic as before, and that Hong Kong is going all out for economic development after the city's full resumption of normal life and becomes seamlessly connected with the international community and the Mainland, some misunderstandings will naturally go away. 

　　Compared to the past, Hong Kong today in fact is somewhere between "changed" and "unchanged". Hong Kong is "changed" because there is no more riot by black-clad mobsters, there is no more chaos, order and peace are restored, its citizens live and work in peace and contentment, and even streets in the city become cleaner and better looking than before. Hong Kong becomes better and better. Hong Kong is "unchanged" because the fundamental principle of "one country two systems" remains unchanged, all rights and freedoms protected by the Basic Law remain unchanged, the positioning of Hong Kong as a free market and global metropolis remains unchanged, and the capitalist way of life symbolised by "horse races going on and night clubs staying open" remains unchanged. Earlier, the Chinese New Year Cup horse racing held in Hong Kong attracted over 80,000 punters to show up, generating a record $2 billion turnover. This is the most intuitive illustration of Hong Kong's ongoing prosperity and stability.

　　Visitors coming to Hong Kong will also see that Mainland China's economy is recovering in all aspects following the enhancement of its anti-epidemic measures to once again become the locomotive and stabiliser sustaining global economic growth, of which Hong Kong is the largest beneficiary because of its proximity. The pace to carry out national strategies such as the Belt and Road Initiative and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) is being quickened, providing an incessant driving force for Hong Kong's economic recovery. In the Middle East John Lee will visit in his fist outbound trip after the Spring Festival, there are important countries along the Belt and Road. In addition, Hong Kong is given the positioning as "eight cetres" including an international innovation and technology centre and a centre for international cultural exchange. It is sufficiently evident that today, at the beginning of the 26th year after Hong Kong's return to the Motherland, Hong Kong's role is not weakened but instead strengthened. This will boost international community's confidence in Hong Kong's future.

　　In view of tourism resources alone, in addition to traditional sight-seeing spots such as Victoria Habour and the two theme parks, now there are also new ones such as the M+ museum and Hong Kong Palace Museum, with modern arts and traditional Chinese culture adding to each other's splendour to hold a special appeal for tourists.

　　Nowadays, every place in the world is speeding up its pace to resume normalcy and going all out to lure tourists. How can Hong Kong stand out from the competition? Largesse is indispensable, so are "silver bullets". Only in this way can there be sufficient attractiveness. As long as tourists are willing to come to Hong Kong and spend, such giveaways are worthwhile and the payback will be multiple. Not to mention that the tourists will tell others what they see and hear of a real Hong Kong after returning home, which would help dispel certain misunderstandings. This is an outcome that cannot be produced by whatever advertising campaign money can buy. From this perspective, promotion activities such as the "Hello Hong Kong" campaign are cost-effective. The most important thing is for such a good thing to be done well.