Hong Kong - The new US$60 million 2006 Discover Hong Kong Year campaign launched by the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) aims to increase high-yield business arrivals, especially young executives, and get them to stay longer and spend more.
Promotional activities have already started in May and these will continue until the end of 2006.
Last year, overnight business travellers stayed an average of 3.4 nights, but HKTB declined to comment on how much longer it hopes to make them stay in 2005 and 2006. These travellers accounted for 25 per cent of total overnight arrivals in 2004.
Although the campaign is aimed at family-oriented travellers, the board expects it to increase overall arrivals in 2005 by 7.3 per cent to 23.41 million and for tourism receipts to grow by 6.5 per cent to HK$97.8 billion (US$12.5 billion).
For 2006, it expects overall arrival figures to increase 15.9 per cent and tourism receipts to increase 17.3 per cent over 2005.
HKTB executive director, Ms Clara Chong, said business arrivals from long and shorthaul markets had been growing. However, the board declined to reveal specific projections and figures relating to the business travel segment.
Next year, Hong Kong’s tourism scene will be marked by several milestones including the opening of Hong Kong Wetland Park and Tung Chung Cable Car.
These are expected to indirectly influence and encourage business travellers to take their families and to stay on with them after their meetings have concluded.
The board will work with travel agents to incorporate these new attractions in newly-repackaged itineraries. Ms Chong said: “Taking advantage of the new meetings incentives, conventions and exhibitions facilities in AsiaWorld-Expo and Disneyland (opening in September), we will co-operate with event organisers to line up more events for business travellers and their families.
“We hope they will take time to discover what’s new in Hong Kong and to come back for their vacation.”
To draw their interest, the board has created an On-The-Way itinerary that will recommend an in-town check-in service followed by visits to the Giant Buddha, Heart Sutra and Cable Car on Lantau island before travellers leave to catch their flights.
