HK shifts tourism focus to A-P markets

HONG KONG: The Hong Kong Tourist Board (HKTB) has shifted its marketing communications strategy to focus on tactical initiatives in intra-regional short-haul markets following the terrorist attacks on the United States last month. Previous campaigns were more thematic-focused and the change in direction was made as the tourist board was looking to encourage a quick consumer response to special offers. "The activities concentrate on trying to bring into Hong Kong more travellers from Asia, especially China. As such, the campaign includes price or value added promotions in co-operation with airlines and travel agents," said Gary Tse, chairman and chief executive officer of FCB, which handles the HKTB account. The promotions are predominantly targeted at Asian markets because short-haul flights have not been as severely affected as intercontinental services following the September 11 attacks. However, Hong Kong's hotel industry has felt the brunt of the slowdown from the sharp decline in arrivals from the West. The hope is that the intra-regional focus will go some way to make up for the current shortfall. "Thematic campaigns would not work right now because we want something which people can react to quickly. We want to give people more incentive to buy into certain promotions," said Tse. However, Tse added that the total amount the bureau planned to spend had not changed much year-on-year. "Basically, a lot of the money that used to be spent on thematic has been shifted to tactical." FCB is also conducting a survey across the region to determine if travellers in Asia were interested in visiting Hong Kong in the near term because of the current climate.

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