Guide follows greener path to opportunity
HONG Kong is switching its World Travel Market emphasis from city attractions to its lesser-known countryside.
During the event, the Hong Kong Tourist Association will launch the Green Guide to Hong Kong, a publication detailing its national parks, wildlife and rural touring opportunities.
HKTA regional director for Europe, Africa and the Middle East Kevin Welch said: “People are often surprised to be told that 40% of Hong Kong is greenery, that it has some quite strenuous hill walks and that they can visit people living traditionally in the villages of the New Territories.”
Welch said that although Hong Kong has attracted fewer visitors from the UK this year, business is beginning to pick up.
“We have seen a bit of a dip this year,” he admitted. “We expect to end 1999 about 2% down on 1998 but business is returning and we would expect to see growth of 4%-5% next year.”
There will be about 20 co-exhibitors joining the HKTA on its stand which will be within the Together in Asia pavilion.
Meanwhile, the China National Tourist Office has halved the size of its stand in spite of increased interest in the destination.
UK assistant director of the CNTO, Wei Xing, said only seven or eight exhibitors from China will be attending the show this year in comparison to the 12 who visited in 1998.
“Business from the UK is quite good and we are expecting a 6%-7% increase in British visitors to over 250,000 this year. But not so many companies will be exhibiting at WTM because the cost is very high,” said Xing.
The tourist office will be concentrating on promoting the wide range of events being staged throughout China next year to celebrate the new millennium.
Brochures and videos containing details of all the events will be available on the stand.
National carrier Air China will have a separate stand where it will be promoting its three-times weekly London-Beijing service which offers connections to Sydney and Melbourne.
An airline spokesman said: “We will also be selling China in general, but a lot of our customers travel on to Australia and so we will be pushing these services.”
n Cathay Pacific will be displaying its new first-class seats at WTM on the Together in Asia stand. They are due to be fitted on all 19 of its Boeing747-400 aircraft by 2001. The seats convert into what the airline is claiming to be the widest sleeper seats in the sky.
n Along with its partners in the Together in Asia pavilion, Hong Kong will be offering agents the golden chance to win three trips for two to Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore. Lucky winners will stay at Mandarin Oriental Hotels, travel on Thai Airwaysand Cathay Pacific, and take a cruise in conjunction with Star Cruises. Agentsneed to visit the stand during WTM to enter the competition and the first 50 entrants will also receive a Together in Asia goody-bag.