Hong Kong on a high

Hong Kong has long been a leader in the CEI industry, not just for Asia-Pacific business but right across the globe. As a part of the 'onecountry, two-systems' policy of China, the Special Administrative Region (SAR) continues to offer CEI visitors stability, easy access to hotels and world-class entertainment and attractions to lure meetings and incentive groups to its shores. In 2004, Hong Kong welcomed an astonishing 21.8 million visitors to its shores, making it the world's seventh-biggest destination in terms of arrivals — a remarkable achievement for a single-city destination. Of the 434 people surveyed, 123 — or 28.3 per cent — are based in Hong Kong, which is a four per cent increase on the 2005 survey. While this high volume could be claimed to skew results in certain sectors, the fact remains that Hong Kong, along with Singapore, are still the two biggest markets in Asia, despite the emergence of China. They are also the most sophisticated markets and so their opinions must be considered to be influential. Corporate buyers who took part in our survey certainly gave Hong Kong yet another positive response. Nearly 22 per cent acknowledged the SAR as the city offering the best CEI experience, less than two percentage points behind Singapore and Bangkok. Marketing campaign Hong Kong Tourist Board (HKTB) executive director Clara Chong says the 2006 Discover Hong Kong Year global marketing campaign will help sustain the tourism industry's long-term development and provide the impetus for growth during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and 2009 East Asian Games. "While promoting our tourism infrastructure, it is equally important to continually upgrade Hong Kong's quality services," she says. Our readers voted Hong Kong as the thirdmost- popular destination where they had held conferences and exhibitions in the past 12 months. China was in first place, with Singapore in second. However, Hong Kong managed to slip into second place ahead of Singapore in terms of incentive destinations. For future projections, 35 per cent of respondents indicated that Hong Kong is their preferred destination of choice for holding CEI events in 2006. This future forecast puts Hong Kong into second place behind China and leaves Singapore in third place. This year-on-year consistency for Hong Kong reflects the destination's standing as a location that delivers efficiency and excitement in equal measure. The past 12 months has been an exciting time for Hong Kong's CEI industry. New openings Disneyland opened last September and has two new hotels nearby — the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel, which has 400 rooms, and Disney's Hollywood Hotel, which has 600 rooms. Another long-anticipated opening was that of the Four Seasons Hotel in Central. Overlooking Victoria Harbour, the Four Seasons offers 399 guest rooms, two ballrooms and six meeting rooms. It also offers some of the finest views of Hong Kong from many of its windows. New incentives…Hong Kong Disneyland Looking ahead, the coming 12 months will only enhance Hong Kong's reputation as a regional CEI leader. For incentives, the Ngong Ping 360 Cable Car project is due to open on Lantau Island midway through the year, which will offer stunning views and provide easy access to the Big Buddha statue on Lantau Island. For conferences and conventions, the opening of AsiaWorld-Expo last December now provides planners with another world-class facility to consider in Hong Kong. AsiaWorld-Expo will offer 70,000 sqm of Shopping paradise…Mong Kok rentable space and have its own in-venue railway station. Large expos have already been booked for 2006, including ITU Telecom World 2006. "The opening of AsiaWorld-Expo will further showcase Hong Kong — Asia's World City — as the premier international destination for trade shows, large-scale events and entertainment activities," says Allen Ha, deputy chief executive officer of Asia- World-Expo. "Upon arrival at the Hong Kong International Airport, overseas exhibitors and buyers can take the Airport Express train from the airport to arrive directly at AsiaWorld-Expo in approximately one minute. "AsiaWorld-Expo is also located at the heart of a comprehensive transportation hub. Cross-boundary bus services and the future Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will provide additional easy land access to and from the mainland China and Macao." One of Hong Kong's strongest advantages is that it is among the most stable economies and governments the region. When asked about the top three important threats that will influence business in 2006, respondents listed security, political instability and regional conflicts as their major concerns. Fortunately the SAR is a stranger to all of these issues. Consistent appeal Meanwhile, in terms of suppliers Hong Kong has showed consistent appeal. It was rated third over the past 12 months, equal with Singapore and two places behind Australia and China. This confidence in the SAR has also seen it retain its place in the top three cities offering the best overall CEI experience and facilities, with Singapore and Bangkok being the other two. The HKTB was also singled out for praise in the survey, with 14 per cent of respondents voting it to be the best convention bureau/NTO for assisting CEI business in Asia Pacific. The Singapore Tourism Board was the only organisation to finish ahead of HKTB. True excellence In the convention and exhibition sector, Hong Kong easily outshone the competition in terms of facilities, with 33 per cent of respondents who were corporate buyers indicating that Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) was the best convention and exhibition centre in the region. Suntec Singapore followed with 17 per cent of the vote. Cathay Pacific also added appeal to Hong Kong as a destination, being voted second-best airline for corporate travel in Asia Pacific. It received 25 per cent of the vote behind Singapore Airlines, which came out on top.