The 2026 "Happy Spring Festival" cultural and tourism promotion month for Hong Kong and Macao, jointly organized by the Asian Tourism Exchange Center and the Hong Kong Tourism Industry Council, was launched in Hong Kong on the 27th. At the event, the Asian Tourism Exchange Center simultaneously released the first batch of "multi stop" inbound tourism boutique routes, and showcased the "Lucky Horse" mascot for the 2026 "Happy Spring Festival" launched by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism worldwide, adding a strong cultural atmosphere and festive color to the upcoming Lunar New Year. Zhang Dong, Director of the Asia Tourism Exchange Center, delivered a speech at the ceremony, stating that the cultural and tourism market in Hong Kong and Macao will have a strong momentum in 2025, with continuous deepening of cultural and tourism exchanges with the mainland. The charm of traditional culture will not diminish, and new technology check-in points will attract a large number of people. The integrated development of culture and tourism has achieved remarkable results. The Asian Tourism Exchange Center will continue to cooperate with the Hong Kong and Macao industries to serve the national tourism power strategy. The Commissioner for Tourism Affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Zhang Feng Yongping, stated that Hong Kong, as a center for cultural and artistic exchanges between China and foreign countries, has abundant tourism resources and international advantages. The number of visitors to Hong Kong for the whole year of 2025 is about 49.9 million, an increase of 12% compared to 2024, with significant growth in multiple overseas markets. The SAR government will continue to make good use of its own advantages, expand diversified tourism resources, and attract more tourists to Hong Kong. At the event, the mascot "Lucky Horse" for the 2026 "Happy Spring Festival" launched by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for the world was unveiled. Inspired by the bronze galloping horse horse riding on a flying swallow in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the "auspicious horse" draws on the mane decoration technique of the Tang Dynasty's five colored horse. The main color is Chinese red, supplemented by classic traditional patterns such as auspicious cloud patterns and Ruyi patterns, which reflects the warm and festive atmosphere of the Chinese Spring Festival. In addition, the Asian Tourism Exchange Center closely adheres to the design core of "cultural tourism integration, distinctive themes, and regional linkage", and officially launches 10 "multi stop" inbound tourism boutique routes. Accurately anchoring the unique advantages of Hong Kong and Macao as international tourism hubs, with Hong Kong and Macao serving as important gateways and transit nodes for global travelers. The 10 routes cover five cultural lineages including the Yangtze River civilization, Yellow River civilization, and Grand Canal civilization, integrating regional cultural and tourism industry clusters such as Beijing Tianjin Hebei, Jiangsu Zhejiang Shanghai, and Heilongjiang Jilin Liaoning. At the same time, they focus on globally renowned cultural and tourism IPs such as Panda Hometown and the Roof of the World, deeply connecting high-quality cultural and tourism resources throughout the mainland, providing high-quality inbound tourism choices for tourists from Hong Kong, Macao, and the world. The "Happy Spring Festival" event is hosted by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of China and has been held continuously for 25 years since 2001. The promotion month event in Hong Kong and Macao, as an important part of the "Happy Spring Festival" global series of activities, marks the comprehensive launch of cultural and tourism promotion work in Hong Kong and Macao in 2026. (New Society)