"HONG KONG CUP" BY HKTB & THE NIRVANA OF GOLF

Leveraging on the marketing platform of “Hong Kong – Converging Possibilities”, Meetings and Exhibitions Hong Kong (MEHK) office of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) tied up with The Nirvana of Golf, a corporate golfing community to support its first ever “Hong Kong Cup” at ITC Classic Golf Resort in Gurgaon.

Over 80 senior corporate achievers came together to celebrate their collective passion for golf over the weekend. The individual winners included Mr Kavi Arora (CEO – Religare Finvest Ltd), Mr Sudhanshu Mathur (CEO – BMS Enterprise) and Mr Shashank Sinha (Partner – Navi’s Capital); while the runners-up were Mr Vineet Kshirsagar (Director –Microsoft), Mr Upinder Zutshi (CEO – Infinite) and Mr Mukul Bahri (Managing Director – Jaipur Golden). Mr Prashant Jain (Director – GSL Associates) and Mr Sudhanshu Mathur were the team winners and Runners Up were Mr Shashank Sinha and Mr K Srinivas (Director – Airtel).

The sporting event provided a platform for Hong Kong to promote the territory as a rewarding MICE (Meeting, Incentive, Convention, Exhibition) destination of choice. The city offers great choices for venue, facilities and infrastructure and logistical support. The tourism board supports MICE groups with exclusive privileges offered complimentary to overseas participants. Besides this, Hong Kong attractions, hotels and travel agents also provide valuable support and enhancement to the MICE programmes.

India is identified for its growth potential and the MEHK office was established by HKTB last year to tap the outbound MICE market. Tasked with providing one-stop professional support to MICE organisers, it ensures that Hong Kong stays ahead of the competition in the global MICE sector.

With 14-days visa-free travel facility for the Indian passport holders and additional flight capacity between India and Hong Kong, Hong Kong is well placed to be a popular destination for Indian MICE events. Over the past six years, arrivals to Hong Kong from India have increased by more than 70%. India registered a positive growth of 10.4% with 350,674 visitors in 2008.

About Hong Kong Tourism Board

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), a Government-subvented body, was founded in 2001. It has 15 branch offices and five representative offices around the world, and its primary mission is to maximise the social and economic contribution that tourism makes to the community of Hong Kong, and consolidate the city's position as a unique, world-class and most desired destination in fulfilling this, the HKTB works closely with the Government, travel industry and other partners to market and promote Hong Kong worldwide, improve the range and quality of visitor facilities and tourism service standards, and enhance the experiences of visitors once they have arrived.

About The Nirvana of Golf

The Nirvana of Golf is a community of senior corporate golfers, who join by invitation. It organizes golf travels and competitions at various courses across the country and in other parts of the world. The group was started to provide a platform to over 200 members representing senior executives across large corporate houses. The group website www.thenirvanaofgolf.com is restricted for its members.