HKTB invites master chefs to showcase HK's delicious flavours

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has partnered with the Chinese Culinary Institute (CCI) (中華廚藝學院) to launch a gourmet guide, offering visitors an inspiring gateway to explore the city’s flavours as recommended by over 50 local master chefs.

Also known as “Taste Hong Kong” (香港好味), the gourmet guide embodies "hou mei" (好味)—the Cantonese term for “delicious flavours”—capturing the essence of great taste and the vibrant dining culture of the city. Each neighbourhood reveals its culinary treasures, showcasing the diversity, authenticity, and excellence of Hong Kong’s dining scene, which has earned it the reputation of a gourmet capital and attracts visitors from around the globe.

The gourmet guide offers visitors a way to explore the city’s flavours by featuring recommendations from over 50 local master chefs who graduated from the CCI. They highlight 250 of their favourite restaurants across Hong Kong, allowing visitors to “dine as they go".

Participating chefs include executive chefs from five-star hotels and Michelin-starred talents, such as Mott 32, Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, Chineseology, and Cordis Hong Kong. These culinary leaders combine heritage preservation with innovative cooking to promote local dining culture. 

Their recommended restaurants feature a diverse range of Chinese cuisines, including Beijing, Shanghai, Sichuan, Cantonese, and Yunnan, as well as global options such as French, Italian, American, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indian, Singaporean, and Malaysian. The diverse selections range from authentic noodle shops and Hong Kong-style dessert shops to time-honoured restaurants and Michelin-starred venues. Through these master chefs' recommendations, visitors and locals can immerse themselves in Hong Kong’s rich culinary heritage.

The HKTB has also introduced the “Taste Hong Kong” campaign website featuring participating master chefs, recommended restaurants, neighbourhood highlights, and a downloadable digital gourmet guide. The website is designed for ease of use, with multiple tags for neighbourhoods, cuisine types and dining occasions, allowing users to search according to their personal preferences. Visitors can also filter for restaurants accredited under the Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme, halal-certified venues, and Michelin-starred establishments, catering to diverse dining preferences.

In addition, QR codes will be displayed at various MTR stations, bus shelters and visitor signage across neighbourhoods. By scanning these codes on their phones, visitors can easily access the campaign website and browse information on chef-selected restaurants within specific neighbourhoods, enabling them to enjoy delicacies on the go and effortlessly discover more delights and surprises for the palate. HKTB will broadcast the “Taste Hong Kong” promotional video at major tourist hotspots, such as visitor information centres, Hong Kong International Airport, Lan Kwai Fong, and prominent shopping malls and hotels across the city.

Promoting HK’s culinary appeal through overseas media and KOLs

Targeting multiple source markets, HKTB is collaborating with popular culinary programmes to launch exclusive content based on the gourmet guide to engage a broad global audience of food enthusiasts and inspire culinary travel to Hong Kong.

HKTB will also invite key opinion leaders (KOLs) from the Chinese mainland, UK, Southeast Asia, and other countries and regions to visit recommended restaurants and share their firsthand experiences on social media, promoting Hong Kong delicacies across various neighbourhoods. 

In March, HKTB will  invite media representatives from the Chinese mainland and international markets to Hong Kong. They will engage with local master chefs, dine at gourmet guide restaurants, and attend the “Asia's 50 best restaurants” awards, hosted in Hong Kong for the first time. Their coverage seeks to showcase Hong Kong’s vibrant dining scene and inspire visitors to experience “Taste Hong Kong.”

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Peter Lam, HKTB chairman said, “CCI has long been a cradle for countless culinary talents, contributing significantly to the city’s reputation as a ‘gourmet capital’. The ‘Taste Hong Kong’ gourmet guide, created through our collective efforts, is not just a restaurant list; it is a heartfelt tribute to the spirit of our city’s dining culture. With master chefs leading the way, we invite visitors to embark on a tasting journey to explore Hong Kong’s myriad types of Hou Mei.”

“This initiative also aligns closely with the HKTB’s ‘Hong Kong neighbourhoods’ campaign, encouraging visitors to experience every corner of the city in depth while stimulating spending and promoting the sustainable development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry,” he added. 

Jeffrey Lam, VTC chairman, said: “As a member institution of the VTC, CCI has long been dedicated to promoting Hong Kong as the hub for Chinese culinary training in the Asia-Pacific region. It provides systematic and professional training in Chinese cuisine, promotes the rich heritage of the Chinese culinary art, and supports the development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry.”

“This initiative brings together alumni of the CCI’s ‘Master chef course in Chinese cuisine’, telling the story of Hong Kong’s diverse food culture and helping strengthen Hong Kong’s reputation as the culinary capital of Asia,” he added.

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