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HK industry expert particularly buoyant about tourism attractions in the South
Developing countries have great opportunities and huge potential to attract Hong Kong tourists who are tired of traditional tourism destinations, said a local business insider in an exclusive interview with the APD.
Hong Kong employees are entitled to have a maximum of 14-day annual leave and most of them like to spend their holidays traveling aboard, said Yiu Si-wing, Hong Kong Legislative Council representative for tourism with over 30 years of experience in the sector.
To travel lovers from Hong Kong, tourist attractions in Japan, Taiwan and cities in China’s mainland are no longer attractive, because they have been there more than once. “They're now looking for more exotic and far-flung places like eastern Africa, Yiu said.
Levy income in the first five months this year, which is a direct reflection of outbound business of travel agents of Hong Kong, rose by 19.7% compared with the same period last year, as reported by Hong Kong Travel Industry Council.
Yiu said the surge is not attributed to a significant increase of traditional traveling routes to places like Taiwan and Thailand. Rather, the increase mainly focuses on long-route travels to places like Madagascar and Kenya.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong tourists are also big spenders. They splurged US$20.5 billion on international tourism in 2012, ranking respectively 14th in the world and 4th in Asia, according to the World Tourism Organization.
To attract more Hong Kong tourists, Yiu suggested developing countries make good use of exhibition events such as the International Travel Expo (ITE), a one-stop platform where countries and regions around the world showcase their tourism resources in Hong Kong.
Heal the wound
“There are so many countries in the world and why should Hong Kong tourists choose this one instead of others? Yiu asked, trying to assessing tourists' preferences. “Any tourist attraction must have its distinctiveness, whether it be ethnic culture, natural scenery or historical sites. Promotion efforts should also be made among Hong Kong travelers.
Meanwhile, two issues that Yiu believes top Hong Kong tourists' agenda in choosing their destinations are personal safety and public hygiene. He cited the August 23, 2010 hostage-taking incident that killed eight Hong Kong tourists in Manila. The Philippines has ever since been under the black Outbound Travel Alert, an advisory system that aims to help Hong Kong residents better understand the risk or threat to personal safety in traveling.
"So far we have not seen the Philippine government showing any sincerity to resolve the issue, and terrorist attacks still happen from time to time," Yiu said, adding that Philippine government should make concrete efforts to build reputation so as to prove that it is indeed a safe place to travel.
For countries that cannot solve the public hygiene problem in the short run, Yiu suggested local governments adopt administrative measures and issue health advice to tourists. “For instance, when Hong Kong tourists travel to India, they’re often kindly told to drink only bottled water and eat in the hotel so as to avoid potential diseases.
Yiu also suggested that developing countries attach more importance in building tourism infrastructure including roads securing safe driving. His remarks are reminiscent of several tour bus accidents in the past. In 2006, a speeding tour bus on its way to Luxor from the Red Sea resort of Hurghada ran off the highway and rolled over, killing 14 Hong Kong tourists and injuring 30.
The latest accident involves nine Hong Kong tourists who were killed in Luxor, Egypt when a hot-air balloon burst into flames as it was descending during a sightseeing tour in February this year. The accident was blamed for human errors and six victims could not receive insurance compensation due to the type of insurance they bought.
To avoid such accidents from happening again, Yiu said, tourists should be reminded of the risks for such dangerous activities like parachuting, bungee jumping and scuba-diving and be asked to sign the declaration of understanding if necessary. “Many more travel agencies have now asked their customers to pay attention to the scope of their travel insurance and buy additional insurance if certain dangerous activities are not covered, Yiu said.
**Preserve heritage and nature **
While tourism often brings big revenue to local governments and drives economic development, Yiu said countries should not simply meet some tourists’ short-term needs while ignoring distinctive cultural heritage or destroying the natural habitat.
“The world is paying more attention to eco-tourism and merely developing modern tourism facilities seems to be outdated, Yiu said, citing Chiang Mai in northern Thailand whose traditional cultural heritage sharpens its competitive edge as compared to more developed Pattaya or Bangkok.
When the Chinese film “Lost in Thailand became a hit in late 2012 in China, many mainlanders flocked to Chiang Mai where the movie was screened and exhilarated to find that there is such a city in Thailand with mountainous landscape, unique temples, local handcrafts and elephants trekking tours, all of which are much more attractive than typical Thai tourist sites with pubs and modern city nightlife.
Other than protecting local cultural heritage, Yiu also stressed the importance of protecting natural environment. After all, health comes before holiday. This is particularly so for urban dwellers, who often choose natural tourist attractions because they want to escape urban pollution.
Singapore, a top tourism destination in Southeast Asia, saw its air pollution soaring to a record high last month. Many tourism-related industries were adversely affected, as airlines were canceled, restaurant and hotel bookings dropped, and some tourists attractions were forced to shut down.
The air pollution was in fact a result of the haze from illegal forest burning in Indonesia’s Sumatra island. Yiu said this incident shows that pollution problem needs to be solved through regional cooperation. "Enhancing communication and helping each other to cope with pollution problems has become increasingly important," he said.
It's not just environmental protection. Regional and international cooperation is also crucial in the tourism sector itself, Yiu said, citing a regional cooperation plan called "multi-destination itineraries in one tour", making Hong Kong a “must-visit gateway on itineraries involving all Chinese cities in the Pearl River Delta.
Another kind of cooperation involves local communities and travel agencies. Yiu highlighted Sai Kung, a small fishing village in eastern New Territories often known as the "back garden of Hong Kong." He called it as a successful example of community-based tourism. Local communities work with travel agencies and offer the whole package tour including ferries and travel guides, all of which are from the community itself.
"Nowadays there are so many resources on the Internet and so many international cooperation platforms, Yiu said. “Prior to any tourism development endeavor, developing countries should learn the best practices and draw lessons from other countries."
