ENG-1998 — Page 335

TRAVEL AND TOURISM

and souvenirs, and from its own commercial tours. At the end of 1998, the association had 1 731 members, comprising international passenger carriers, hotel proprietors, travel agents, tour operators, conference/exhibition organisers, retailers, restaurants and other visitor service establishments.

The HKTA maintains information and gift centres in the basement of Jardine House in Central District and at the Star Ferry concourse in Kowloon. It also operates three information counters at the Hong Kong International Airport. In 1998, these centres assisted about 3.7 million visitors. The HKTA also distributed 10.5 million pieces of visitor literature, handled about 4 800 written and e-mail enquiries, sent information to thousands of fax-users via its Infofax service and responded to some 48 000 enquiries on the multi-lingual telephone hotlines. The association, in conjunction with New World Telephone, has installed over 100 Tourist Info PowerPhones in popular tourist spots throughout Hong Kong, enabling visitors to access tourism-related information about Hong Kong easily and conveniently. The PowerPhones feature a touch-screen information centre as well as a standard telephone.

During the year, some 29 000 souvenirs were sold through the HKTA's two information and gift centres, and at 63 outlets in hotels and major tourist areas. The association also assisted in the booking of local sightseeing tours for 13 000 visitors through the two centres.

The HKTA also produced several target-specific brochures to tap potential market segments. These include Romantic Hong Kong (for couples and honeymooners), the Mature Traveller's Guide (for visitors over 60) and the Events and Festivals leaflets.

Marketing Activities

In May 1998, the HKTA launched a new world-wide marketing campaign under the banner We Are Hong Kong - City of Life with a view to repackaging and repositioning Hong Kong after its reunification with China. The new campaign, which is fully integrated in terms of advertising and collateral materials, focuses on Hong Kong's excitement as a cosmopolitan city, highlighting its cutting-edge international flavour and dynamism, compact diversity of attractions, and fascinating blend of East and West, traditional and modern. In particular, it focuses on the dynamic 'human' face of the city - its people. The campaign was launched world- wide from May 1998 covering major markets such as the USA, the UK, Taiwan, the Mainland and Japan. It features a wide range of new visuals and commercials that are used in both print and electronic media advertising.

As part of the association's integrated marketing approach, the HKTA Internet home page was also re-designed and updated to feature a host of even more exciting and interactive options for surfers. It includes a recommended events listing under the Spotlight Hong Kong Towards the Millennium events marketing programme. The website, which attracts around eight million hits every month and has already won many international awards, contributes considerably to the HKTA's emphasis on direct-to-consumer marketing. Country-specific home pages have also been set up. It also has links to other tourism-related organisations, including the China National Tourism Administration, the Shenzhen Trade Development Bureau (Tourism Bureau), the Hong Kong Hotels Association and the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents.

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