TRAVEL AND TOURISM
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Shortly after the launch of the new campaign, the HKTA organised its 1998 summer promotion JulyFest. Capitalising on the first anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the promotion featured special promotional activities during the period.
From February to September 1998, the HKTA held a new promotion to encourage visitors to shop and dine at HKTA and Association of Retailers and Tourism Services (ARTS) member outlets. A special promotional decal was designed and posters placed in strategic locations throughout Hong Kong, helping to raise awareness of the campaign. A post-promotion survey indicated that more than 80 per cent of respondents were satisfied with the services provided by HKTA and ARTS member outlets.
In order to attract more visitors to Hong Kong, the HKTA markets existing events and encourages overseas tour operators to package special event trips to Hong Kong. In 1998, the HKTA worked with the Provisional Urban and Regional Councils, event promoters and commercial ticketing agencies to set up a special advance booking procedures to allow visitors to book tickets to such events as the popular Japanese Takarazuka Revue in Hong Kong, the 26th Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens, the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and the Provisional Urban Council's encore series. More than 9 000 tickets to these events were sold through this arrangement.
The HKTA also established a close working relationship with the two municipal councils in promoting major events they organised in 1998. These included the Treasures of China Creations Gems of Chinese Invention Exhibition, the Egyptian Treasures from the British Museum exhibit and performances by the Kirov Ballet.
As part of the HKTA's ongoing efforts to market Hong Kong in conjunction with Guangdong and Macau, it continued to participate in the Pearl River Delta Tourism Marketing Organisation, comprising the HKTA, the Macau Government Tourist Office and the Guangdong Provincial Tourism Bureau. During the year, the organisation was represented at seven major travel trade shows overseas and organised 10 familiarisation trips to the Pearl River Delta for some 145 travel trade personnel and 40 members of the international media. The organisation also completed the Pearl River Delta Hotel Inventory 1997, a comprehensive listing of hotels within the region, during the year.
In pursuit of raising world-wide awareness of Hong Kong as a cruising hub in Asia, the HKTA attended major cruise trade shows in the USA and Australia — two major source markets for cruise visitors. A study was also conducted to examine Hong Kong's positioning in the regional cruise market.
Apart from the International Travel Exposition in Hong Kong, other major travel trade events overseas attended by the HKTA and industry partners from Hong Kong included the World Travel Market in London, the International Tourism Exchange in Berlin, the Pacific Area Travel Association Travel Mart in Singapore, the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, the Borsa Internationale del Turismo in Milan, the Moscow International Travel Trade Show in Moscow and the China International Travel Mart in Shanghai. The HKTA also attended the China Domestic Travel Trade Fair in Fujian and the Guangzhou Travel Fair in Guangzhou.
Increased co-operation with other Asian countries was well demonstrated in a joint pavilion at the World Travel Market in London in 1998. Hong Kong, Singapore and