Hong Kong adds attract ions to maintain magic

Hong Kong has long been considered one of the world's most exhilarating cities and it is determined to raise its game again to maintain that reputation. Vibrant and fast-paced, Hong Kong offers a blend of hard-core, no-nonsense corporate life coexisting with late-night partying in the city's bars, clubs and restaurants. Contemporary and historic, Hong Kong provides a unique blend of colonial heritage standing alongside ancient and modern Chinese cultures. Not surprisingly, Hong Kong has carved a niche as a favoured incentive destination for corporate groups from across the world who are drawn to this pulsating city. A world-class infrastructure plays a key part. Easy access from Hong Kong International Airport by road or via the Airport Express rail link can place you in the heart of Hong Kong just 30 minutes after clearing customs and immigration controls. Buses, rail, taxis and a picturesque ferry and historic tram network provide easy and cheap travel options within the city. With thousands of years of Chinese cultural legacy to fall back on, Hong Kong can also boast its own uniquely Cantonese style. This will become increasingly important as more visitors reach other parts of China, particularly Beijing and Shanghai, where language, cuisine and arts have a different flavour. Hong Kong, so long the outside world's key gateway into mainland China, can still offer incentive groups a memorable experience even though other points of access are now opening up parts of the mainland. A recent addition to Hong Kong's raft of world-class hotel properties is the Langham Place Hotel in Mongkok. The district was originally a densely populated residential area but in recent years it has developed a strong commercial side, particularly as it functions as the banking centre of Kowloon. Jorgen Christensen, director of sales and marketing at the hotel, is upbeat about the property and the city. "We are already attracting meetings business from around the area, for example HSBC. The area is undergoing a transformation and our location is attractive for those who don't want to have to travel to Hong Kong island or other parts of Kowloon," says Christensen. Jenny May, managing director of destination management company Destination Asia, believes that a more imaginative promotion of Hong Kong and additional attractions are going to be needed because incentive groups are more likely to look elsewhere in northeast Asia as both mainland China and Vietnam capture the imagination. Hong Kong's past success is a problem as many planners and buyers are familiar with the city and perhaps feel the need to find fresher, less-explored destinations. "I would definitely say the trend is toward combining Hong Kong with other destinations," says May. "Beijing and Shanghai are obviously very popular and Hong Kong makes sense as as a second or third leg. "However, the days when Hong Kong could be seen simply as a one-stop shop seem to be on the way out. "Our experience from trade shows is that incentive planners want something new and they don't necessarily see Hong Kong as offering that freshness," adds May. "As we handle mainly long-haul incentive groups, we see that Australia and New Zealand incentives, for example, are also looking beyond Asia. "Cuba is another destination that has also come from practically nowhere and moved on to planners' agendas." As for some of the new attractions, May is hesitant given her particular clientele. "I'd certainly offer the option of a half-day or even a full-day at Disneyland, but my markets are unlikely to want to use the hotels there. They would prefer Hong Kong island or Tsim Sha Tsui," she says. May says that one regular feature of incentive programmes that never seems to go stale is a waterborne element. "Almost all our programmes will include a junk trip, no matter how small or large the group. We can arrange a very upmarket event on board," she says. "Catering for food and drink is relatively easy to arrange and can be adapted to practically any budget," she says. A major new initiative by three five-star hotels is targeting the meetings and incentives market. The Conrad Hong Kong, JW Marriott Hong Kong and Island Shangri-La have combined in a Pacific Place Hotels alliance. The three properties are aiming to create synergy based on their shared location in Pacific Place in the commercial heart of the city, which encompasses offices, shopping, dining and entertainment facilities. The Conrad offers 513 rooms and its Grand Ballroom provides capacity to hold 700 theatre-style. The 56-floor Island Shangri-La has 565 rooms and its Island Ballroom holds 800 theatre-style. The largest in terms of capacity is the JW Marriott, which has 602 guestrooms and can accommodate 1,000 people theatre-style in its main ballroom. Added to the hotels' facilities is the Pacific Place Conference Centre, a dedicated venue offering a variety of meeting-room spaces and holding up to 252 people theatre-style. The advantages of a joint marketing alliance far outweigh any issues of any inter-brand rivalry, the hotel managements believe. "We have the competitive advantage of having already worked together to host major conventions and conferences," says Elaine Luey, director of marketing, JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong. culture and the arts hong kong looks ahead Even long-term fans of Hong Kong have bemoaned the relative lack of world-class artistic and cultural facilities in such a cosmopolitan city. Hong Kong's government is seeking to redress this and has opened a public consultation on a major new project, the West Kowloon Cultural District built on reclaimed land. The total area of the site will be 40 hectares with a 2.3km-long waterfront promenade. The first stage should open in 2011. However, the proposals are still subject to much heated discussion. The Hong Kong SAR government's aim is to create a concentrated zone of facilities. Highlights include: l provision of core arts and cultural facilities; l construction of a canopy covering at least 55 per cent of the development area; l provision of an automated people-mover running through development; l good balance of land use, comprising arts, cultural, commercial, entertainment, residential, hotel and open space; l provision of open space including a podium park, landscaped terraces and waterfront promenade; l a theatre complex comprising three theatres (with at least 2,000, 800 and 400 seats); l a performance venue (with at least 10,000 seats); l a museum cluster comprising four museums of differing themes (with total net operating floor area of at least 75,000 sqm); l art exhibition centre (with net operating floor area of at least 10,000 sqm); l a water amphitheatre; and l at least four piazza areas. upgrading attractions ocean park One of Hong Kong's long-standing attractions is Ocean Park, now nearly 30 years old. However, the imminent arrival of Hong Kong Disneyland has spurred the Hong Kong Government to announce ambitious plans to modernise the complex and add new facilities, including hotels. There are no details as yet on the star-ratings of the three proposed properties, but Ocean Park officials are in initial discussions with outside partners. The park's new attractions will include an ice palace to house penguins, polar bears and walruses. Visitors will also be able to swim with dolphins and dine in an underwater restaurant. There are also plans to extend the MTR network to a new station at the park. However, some local DMCs feel that as far as corporate incentives are concerned, Ocean Park will likely still appeal more to the leisure and mainland Chinese markets rather than to what are seen as more demanding regional corporate groups. Ocean Park's potential for the incentive market will become clearer as more exact details emerge. Key facts: l Opened: 1977 l Estimated number of visitors: 60 million l Total investment in renovation: US$700 million l New properties: three new hotels l New rooms: 1,500 (estimate) Cathay Pacific promotes group service Cathay Pacific Airways has established a world-class reputation as one of the premier international airlines. CEI Asia Pacific asked James Tong, manager sales and distribution, Cathay Pacific Airways, about the airline's specific services for the inbound meetings and incentives market. Passenger data "While we do not have exact figures for inbound incentive programmes, we did record 8,000-plus passengers from the overall inbound conference, exhibition and incentive (CEI) segment in 2004. "This figure is certainly understated because some of the passengers/groups were handled by travel agencies and these are treated as individual/normal group movement. Furthermore, there is no particular source market as they travel from all over the world." Cathay complimentary services "For incentive groups, we offer the following special services on a complimentary basis. Of course, prebooking is essential: l advanced seat reservations (ASR); l meet and greet upon departure at outport and arrival at Hong Kong Airport, or during transit there; l pre-check-in and seat allocation; l special signage at check-in; l inflight welcome message; and l Yum Sing card ( a special discount card that passengers can use in selected retail outlets)." Cathay added services "The following requests are handled on a case-by-case basis and upon further discussion with the organisers: l ticket discounts; l upgrades; l branded head rest cover and/or menu cover; and l excess baggage allowances. "Other requests, such as Hong Kong hotel rates, return transfers between Hong Kong Airport and hotels, conference venues, optional tours, side trips and so forth, will be handled through our wholly owned subsidiary Cathay Holidays." Promotions "We promote our incentive options through: l a special page on the Cathay Pacific website; l Cathay's own booths at major trade shows; l visits to corporate clients; and l cooperation with the Hong Kong Tourism Board, Hong Kong Trade Development Corporation, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, AsiaWorld Expo, event organisers, associations and trade. "We have found there is positive growth in terms of passenger numbers from the inbound CEI segment. "With the heavy investment from the government and the HKTB, plus the opening of Disneyland, AsiaWorld Expo, wetland park, Tung Chung cable car and expansion of the Ocean Park, Hong Kong will keep on as one of the most popular destinations. "On the business front, we also received many requests from the trade for future cooperation."