Northstar

14 | www.travelweekly-asia.com DESTINATION Hong Kong / Macau Efforts are focusing first on domestic travel then overseas visitors H ong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) recently announced its main phases of recovery that will look at boosting the attractiveness of Hong Kong as a destination to tourists from the mainland, short-haul and new markets, as well as long-haul. Divided into Resilience, Recovery and Relaunch, they will incorporate promotions to fuel pride in the city among locals and interest from visitors, as well as a new tourism campaign and mega-events to boost Hong Kong's image abroad. When it comes to the anticipated early recovery of short-haul and new markets, HKTB predicts intense competition will spring up within the region. As such, the board has initiated a HK$400 million (US$51.6 million) investment that will be put towards promotions to lure visitors, with potential early travellers likely to be from the young and middle-aged demographics from Japan, Korea and Taiwan. As for the slowly recovering long-haul markets, HKTB expects ethnic Asian travellers to respond first, with travellers from Canada, France and Germany most likely to jump on a plane. Spurring domestic demand with an eye on the global stage When it comes to boosting domestic tourism, Ronald Wu, executive director of Gray Line Tours, is hoping to launch his company's new itineraries targeted at locals interested in visiting hidden local gems soon – when social distancing measures ease. However, as current social distancing restrictions within the city allow for only a By Catharine Nicol HKTB has announced three phases of recovery – Resilience, Recovery and Relaunch, to boost the city's attractiveness. Hong Kong takes steps to get back into the spotlight maximum of eight people to gather, domestic travel is somewhat limited for now. "We are hoping the government will relax the number to 12 or 14 as welcoming only seven people on a tour makes it difficult to cover costs," he said. At the same time, Mr Wu, who is also chairman of Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents (HATA), is among 14 tourism sector representatives who have been urging the Hong Kong government to expedite the setting up of travel corridors with the neighbouring Macau and south mainland China, namely the Greater Bay Area. "We are hoping an announcement can be made in June and business travellers can start travelling in July," he said. "The first step is for travellers to have a health certificate, which needs to be recognised between Hong Kong, Macau and China, and the government is in the final stages of getting this ready." MACAU'S FUTURE – SPORTY AND INCLUSIVE Eschewing the proposed tourist tax to focus on a free welcome to all, new plans afoot include monthly sporting events to mix excitement and diversification It was just a few months ago that the incredible success of Macau as a travel destination forced concerns about potential overtourism, with the government floating the idea of a tourist tax. Fast forward to today, an extreme opposite is present with virtually zero tourists, and tourist tax considerations have been replaced with a new priority – fuelling healthy travel recovery with sustainable tourism development at its core. Domestically, Macau is depending on locals to spur its tourism with the introduction of a new online platform that rounds up local tourism stakeholders' promotions. Launched June 5, the platform, "Macao Ready Go!", will enable Macau's citizens to renew their love of the city via special deals on local staycations and meals, retail therapy, entertainment and adventurous activities. At the moment, 381 businesses have signed up, and more are being encouraged to join. This will also be available to overseas tourists once restrictions relax. As part of the second of the three-phase tourism recovery created by the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), free half-day tours will be on offer for overnight visitors. The tourism recovery plan also includes supporting overseas promotions in phase one and initiating a recovery scheme across international markets in phase three once border controls are lifted. Strategies such as "promoting the dispersal of visitors within the city and beyond" and "improving urban infrastructure and facilities" are also aims. According to PATA, Macau's tourism arrivals could count around 26.4 million by end-2020 and up to 46.7 million in 2021. To further diversify tourism, proposals for one international-level sporting event per month are being floated, joining favourites like the Macao Grand Prix every and the International Marathon. The annual dragon boat race in Macau. CREDIT: LEEYIUTUNG/GETTYIMAGES CREDIT: MGTO "We are hoping an announce- ment can be made in June and business travellers can start travelling in July." – Ronald Wu, chairman of Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents (HATA)

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