Asia, Africa and Middle East CommitteeIncoming Visitors

It was a pleasure to welcome Seizo Tsuji, Director of the Business Establishment Section, Wakayama Prefecture Government, along with his colleagues, to the Chamber on February 19. They were greeted by HKGCC CEO Patrick Yeung, Asia, Africa & Middle East Committee Chairman Dewan Saiful Alam, Vice Chairman Zaman Minhas Qamar, and Retail & Tourism Committee Vice Chairman Bella Chhoa, who exchanged views on the hotel investment environment in Wakayama Prefecture and the general investment landscape in Japan.

Wakayama Prefecture, located in the Kansai region, is an hour away from Kansai International Airport. Despite its proximity to the metropolis, the prefecture enjoys abundant natural beauty, with a scenic southwest coastline facing the Pacific Ocean, as well as rich traditional culture and craftsmanship. Although the prefecture has attracted a significant number of tourists, particularly from China after COVID-19, only 25% of the 20 million visitors opted to stay overnight. As explained by Tsuji, the prefecture’s hotel industry is dominated by family-owned private onsen hotels, which have limited guest capacity.

To encourage overnight tourism, the Wakayama prefecture government has been working on developing relevant hotel infrastructure, including extending the runway of Nanki-Shirahama Airport to receive international flight by 2035, and offering tax incentives and value-added services to attract luxury global hotel chains to enter Wakayama. Yeung agrees that hotel infrastructure is necessary to capture overnight visitors, especially given the anticipated trend of increasing tourists driven by the depreciation of Japanese Yen. He also suggested that the Wakayama prefecture government consider drawing Gen-Z tourists to stay in by encouraging and regulating Airbnb facilities.

We had a useful and insightful discussion today on Kazakhstan’s business climate and developments with Almas Seitakynov, Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 13 February. He explained that FDI into the country represents 61% of all FDI into Central Asia, with the Netherlands being by far the largest investor with US$71.b in projects, followed by the USA, Switzerland and China fourth.

Its strategic location gives it access to major markets, it has been expanding its sea, rail, road and air facilities as its importance on the Belt and Road also increases. It has also been attracting investments in financial and professional services, including from Hong Kong companies.

He also mentioned the Astana International Forum, which takes place from 29-30 in May 2025. This year’s theme revolves around the shared responsibility for collectively building a better world. More details of the forum can be found here https://astanainternationalforum.org/

Today, we had the privilege of welcoming Youssouf Moussa Dawaleh, President of the Chamber of Commerce of Djibouti, who provided valuable insights into the investment potential and business opportunities in this strategically located country in the Horn of Africa.

Dewan Saiful Alam, Chairman of the Asia, Africa, and Middle East Committee, along with Vice Chairmen Yolane Japhet and Zaman Minhas Qamar, welcomed him and recapped discussions from last year's visit by Djibouti's Prime Minister, H.E. Abdoulkader Kamil Mohamed.

Dawaleh highlighted Djibouti's role as a critical gateway for transshipments to the surrounding landlocked African hinterland. He also extended an invitation for the Chamber to consider leading a delegation to Djibouti, allowing businesses to explore the opportunities firsthand.