Hong Kong’s Travel Trade Visits Taiwan

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.

See other recent news regarding: Airlines, Aviation, Flights, First Class, Business Class, Hotels, Promotions, New Hotels, Visitor Arrivals, Cruises, Free Deals, Taiwan, Hong Kong