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cultural facilities and other activities in the vicinity. Fronting Victoria Harbour, the piazza is expected to become a prime attraction and landmark. An open design competition is under way and the winning design will be adopted for the piazza.
In addition, the Government plans to conduct improvement works along the promenade on both sides of Aberdeen Harbour and Ap Lei Chau Main Street. The aim is to enhance Aberdeen's tourism appeal by preserving the characteristics of a traditional fisherman's village and adding tourists facilities.
Hong Kong Tourism Board
The HKTB is a statutory Government subvented organisation, responsible for marketing and promoting Hong Kong around the world as a preferred travel destination. The board consists of 20 members comprising representatives of various tourism-related sectors and community leaders. It works from a head office in Hong Kong and has 15 branch offices and five representative offices around the world.
Information Network
The HKTB has two visitor centres in Hong Kong, on the Peak and in Tsim Sha Tsui, as well as information counters at Hong Kong International Airport and the Lo Wu boundary crossing. To promote in-depth exploration of Hong Kong to visitors, the HKTB appointed the first team of 30 'Hong Kong Pals' in October. Stationed at the visitor centres, these volunteers introduce Hong Kong's way of life and culture, and make travel recommendations to visitors.
The board's website, www.discoverhongkong.com receives more than 30 million page views per month and offers 20 versions in different languages. On top of regular enhancements to the website, the HKTB also promotes Hong Kong through different digital communication channels, including social media discussion forums and by mobile phone. An example of these is an innovative iPhone application named 'HK720' launched in May that includes a virtual tour with 720-degree panoramas of Hong Kong's top attractions.
Marketing
The HKTB spearheads promotion programmes in major tourist source markets. It adopted 'Hong Kong Food and Wine Year' as the marketing theme for 2009. In addition to organising spotlight events surrounding this theme, the HKTB also produced a series of new dining guides to help visitors experience Hong Kong's multi-faceted dining experience. As a marketing platform for the Hong Kong Food and Wine Year, a dedicated mini-site with interactive tools was created with comprehensive content, including Chinese cuisine and wine pairing and attractive dining offers.
Service Quality
Quality Tourism Services
The HKTB's Quality Tourism Services (QTS) Scheme for promoting quality service at shops, restaurants and tourist lodgings, is widely supported by the industry and has encouraged many in the industry to improve their services. At the end of 2009,
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