Ninth Position Paper on Travel/Tourism

From time to time the Travel/Tourism Committee of the Hong Kong Coalition of Service Industries, the service policy think tank of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, hold meetings among travel industry practitioners to discuss the promotion of Hong Kong’s travel and tourism industries. From the discussion the HKCSI formulates position papers. Thus far eight such papers have been submitted to the government, the last being a paper in 1999 on “Twenty Issues on Travel and Tourism”. This ninth and latest paper reflects some of the views of the Travel and Tourism sector during the past six months.

The cruise sector

  1. There is great potential for the cruise liner business in Hong Kong. Holding a strategic position in the mouth of the Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong could become a world class cruise centre, especially as the tourism and related industries of South China continue to develop. Hong Kong could be the base, for instance, of a booming, modernised cruise business sector serving visitors up Pearl River to Canton and other points of tourism and historical interests. The SAR could also provide marina facilities for world-class luxury yachts to capture the top spending class.
  2. We support new cruise terminal facilities in Kowloon Bay, at the site of the old airport runway. In planning for the new terminal, it is essential to integrate it with other tourism attractions, such as a maritime or transport museum, rather than treating the terminal as a standalone development.
  3. In the meantime, we call for an upgrading of the existing terminal – both in terms of facilities and access – as well as a diversification of cruise services. On the latter point, we suggest that there should be more and speedier harbour cruises to cater for divergent demands. There should be a great variety of routes and of setting on board, so as to exploit the tourism value of our scenic harbour to the full.
  4. Besides the harbour, Hong Kong’s outlying islands are an important tourism asset which has not been adequately taken advantage of. We suggest that the tourism industry and the promotional body (HKTA) jointly promote more tours around the islands, such as island hopping tours in the Sai Kung area.

    5.  

    Heritage

  5. Heritage tourism should be made a major campaign in tourism promotion. Apart from better preservation of heritage buildings, this also calls for more efforts to enhance their value. Instead of individual blocks, for instance, heritage buildings like Murray Building should be integrated with other tourist facilities, for example by suitable street performance. Where possible, whole areas should be preserved and enhanced, not just isolated buildings.

    6.  

    Attractions

  6. After decades of development and with the benefit of cheap labour, there are now many attractive and well managed theme parks in the Pearl River Delta area. They can be made to complement Hong Kong’s tourism sector, to the benefit of both. We recommend that the travel and tourism sector of Hong Kong coordinate a tour of these facilities in the Pearl River Delta with a view to identifying attractions which can be marketed as complementary products for the Hong Kong tourism sector.

    7.  

    Hospitality

  7. In addition to the courtesy campaigns among front-liners such as taxi drivers, there should be a campaign to make Hong Kong citizens more friendly to tourists, especially those from the Mainland; for example, a courtesy campaign among students and young people to encourage them to help tourists.
  8. The first impression of tourists is very important. The Airport Authority should hire musicians or artists in the airport to make the guests feel welcome, so as to create a good first impression.
  9. With the recovery in tourist arrival numbers, it is time to begin planning for more hotels, as it takes time (at least three years) for hotels to be built. The occupancy rate is already climbing to as high as 85% and a hotel shortage might soon set in were future capacity not planned early enough.

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