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The Hong Kong Tourism Board, together with about 50
representatives from 40 local travel organisations, including hotels,
attractions and travel agencies, travelled to Taiwan and met with more
than 80 travel agency representatives from Taipei, Taichung and
Kaohsiung in March 2009.
It was the largest-ever market visit to
Taiwan organised by the HKTB. Through this visit, representatives
of local travel trade were able to provide their Taiwan
counterparts with the latest market information and updates on
Hong Kong’s travel products, as well as discuss the development of
new products and promotions for the Taiwan market.
As a
result of the global financial crisis, Taiwanese visitors tend to opt
for domestic and short-haul travel. Riding on this trend and the
short flight distance between Hong Kong and Taiwan, which is just
about an hour and similar to that of domestic travel, the HKTB
is keen to promote Hong Kong as an alternative to Taiwan
domestic travel this year. The Board’s target is to attract more
Taiwanese visitors to make short trips or weekend travel to Hong
Kong, which will help offset the loss of same-day in-town arrivals
from Taiwan following the implementation of the cross-strait
direct links.
In fact, the direct links have resulted in
greater number of seats available to leisure travellers on Hong
Kong-Taiwan flights. Taking advantage of this, the HKTB will work
with the Macau Government Tourist Office and Guangdong Provincial
Tourism Bureau to develop combo itineraries including Hong Kong.
In addition, the HKTB will also strengthen its effort in Taichung and
Kaohsiung besides continuing its promotions in Taipei, so as to
develop new sources of visitors.
This year, the HKTB will
organise more travel missions and trade promotional activities in
various source markets. It is hoped that through direct exchanges
with trade counterparts in the source markets, local travel trade
can develop partnerships and further tap new business
opportunities. The HKTB will double the number of travel missions
from six in 2008 to 12 this year, covering such emerging markets
as India, and other major markets, such as Taiwan, Japan and the
Mainland.
Throughout 2009, local travel trade will be able
to enjoy the concessions offered by the HKTB for joining travel
trade shows and travel missions organised by the Board, which are
aimed at lessening the trade’s marketing expenses. Under the
arrangement, Hong Kong travel trade can enjoy a 50% discount on the
participation fee for joining booths set up by the HKTB at travel
trade shows, as well as travel missions organised by the Board.
All the fees collected by the HKTB are re-invested into marketing
activities in respective markets for publicity of Hong Kong and
the travel trade before and during the events.
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