The Olympics will kick off in August, casting the spotlights on Beijing. Along the borders of Greater China, Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) said it will “capitalise on Olympics opportunity”.
For a very visual project, HKTB unveiled the Olympic rings fronting the Victoria Harbour in May. “The construction of the Olympic rings by HKTB is meant to support the SAR Government’s effort in creating a citywide Olympic ambience. They will become a landmark at the harbourfront and provide a perfect backdrop for visitors’ photos of Hong Kong,” said HKTB chair, The Hon James Tien.
HKTB will also launch a series of promotional activities locally so that visitors can fully experience the Olympic atmosphere in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong likewise stands to benefit from the spill-over of visits from China. But standing side-by-side opportunities are downsides.
“It brings opportunities and risks,” said HKTB executive director, Anthony Lau. One scenario he cited is that people would avoid “this part of the world” because of accommodation problems. Another one is that the Mainlanders would opt to stay at home to support the Olympics. Faced with these possibilities, HKTB has started aggressively spearheading marketing activities in the Mainland and overseas since late last year.
Lau cited that one way to entice travels to Hong Kong during the Olympics period is by offering combo packages composed of destinations in the Pearl River Delta region, which includes Guandong and Macau.
“We are doing quite well. In terms of the long-haul markets, what we have done since late last year is we have started to promote this multi-destination itinerary. What I understand is that the response is doing very well. What we have done just early this month (May) was to focus on the short-haul market. We have rolled out a series of new commercials on all the major cable channels. I am expecting some results to come by,” he said.
Towards the end of May, HKTB started drumbeating for its 2008 summer promotions. Hong Kong Summer Temptations, which will run from July 1 to September 21, will showcase Hong Kong as a preferred travel destination in the summer by offering a total experience to visitors that encompasses shopping, dining and exploring the city.
The efforts of HKTB in sustaining the growth of the travel industry receive favourable feedback. “HKTB has been consistently rolling out new programmes
and attractions to sustain the interest of visitors,” said Paul Chiu, managing director of PC Tours. Having said this, he added that there are more visitor comeons to Hong Kong other than obvious tourist attractions and promos.
“I guess that for people who have never been to Hong Kong, everything is new to them,” Chiu said. “But for people who have been to Hong Kong, it is always lifestyle. Tourism is about lifestyle. Look at the new outdoor cafes…You go back to a place you love; you don’t really do much. You don’t do what I call a re-sight-seeing. You had been there once. You come back to relax.”
