HONG KONG TOURISM BOARD SIGNS CO-OPERATION DEAL WITH TIANJIN

Co-operation between the travel trade in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin, and Hong Kong was further reinforced last week when the tourism heads of the two cities signed an agreement in Hong Kong.

The signing was part of the “Tianjin Week” trade fair in Hong Kong which ended yesterday (3 April), when a 500-strong delegation from Tianjin, led by the city’s vice-mayor, Mr Wang Shu Zu, unveiled more than 200 investment projects.

The agreement, signed by Hong Kong Tourism Board Executive Director, Ms Clara Chong Ming-wah and Tianjin Tourist Development Committee Office Director, Mr Chen Zhongxin is intended to enhance these two cities’ competitiveness in the international tourism market and reinforce Hong Kong’s position as the preferred gateway to Mainland China.

Ms Chong said that the pact signed on 28 March was an indication that Hong Kong will continue to co-organise trade activities to strengthen communications and co-operation on marketing stategies. “Meetings will be held to exchange news and views and to discuss issues related to our respective tourism markets,” added Ms Chong.

It was concluded, after negotiations, that the two parties should:

§ hold tourism trade missions and meetings to further the information exchange and co-operation between industry professionals in the two cities as well as organise workshops, study and familiarisation tours, training courses and other programmes in Hong Kong;

§ share tourism statistics such as visitor arrivals figures, source markets, hotel occupancy and average room rates and annual reports;

§ capitalise on the Internet in the provision of consumer information, news resources and e-commerce; and,

§ provide active mutual support with regard to such issues as tourism strategies and the development of new projects.

Mainland China is both an important source market for Hong Kong and a popular complementary destination. Hong Kong has been co-operating closely with Mainland tourism administrations for some years to ensure the industry takes full advantage of its position as the gateway to Mainland China.

In 1993, the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) began joint marketing and promotional activities with its Mainland counterparts to promote the Pearl River Delta region to long-haul markets. The Pearl River Delta Tourism Task Force was established in 1993 and a dedicated Web site for the region launched in 2000.

Four years later, the HKTA joined forces with the tourism administrations of Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Guilin and Kunming to present roadshows in the United States and Europe, to promote Hong Kong and Mainland China multi-destination itineraries. One of the largest and most successful was a show held in the world’s largest shopping mall, The Mall of America, in Bloomington, Minnesota.



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NB. The Hong Kong Tourist Association was formally renamed the Hong Kong Tourism Board on 1 April 2001, to reflect a change to its constitutional structure. Its primary responsibilities for marketing and promoting Hong Kong as a destination worldwide, and for providing visitors with assistance when they arrive, remain unchanged.