What do travellers usually do when they visit Hong Kong? The answers may vary, but most are not hard to guess. Eating and shopping are high on most lists, especially for visitors from other Asian countries.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) wants visitors to remember Hong Kong for other things, such as visiting natural attractions, exploring charming small local communities, or even hanging out in modern hipster areas.
To create the new perception, the HKTB last month launched a new marketing campaign aimed at Southeast Asia, one of its highest-growth markets. Spearheading the rebranding campaign are television commercials broadcast in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
Under the theme "Best of All, It's in Hong Kong", the campaign highlights the rich diversity and quality experiences the city can offer, from food streets and Michelin-starred restaurants to natural sites, theme parks and places for family activities. It also focuses on gathering places for hipsters and local artists, such as a complex in Sheung Wan where old police flats have been renovated into a hip creative space with galleries and work spaces for designers and artists.
Featuring local personalities -- celebrity chefs, actors and local designers -- the commercials feature heartwarming personal anecdotes: a designer finds inspiration for her fashions in a local community market, Michelin-star chefs hang out eating street food, a busy actor escapes the urban grind by running in the mountains overlooking the harbour, and a movie star uncle takes his nieces and nephews to theme parks -- Ocean Park and Hong Kong Disneyland.
Simon Wong, regional director of Hong Kong Tourism Board for Southeast Asia Hong Kong Tourism Board
Simon Wong, the regional director of the HKTB for Southeast Asia, says the commercials are intended to differentiate Hong Kong from the "sea of sameness" of touristy destinations. The idea is to show prospective travellers how they can "personalise" their experiences in Hong Kong's varied destinations.
"Nowadays, visitors have become more demanding. They need not only good facilities and convenient infrastructure. They need stories to relate to, and to understand destinations in Hong Kong deeper. In terms of information, travellers get a lot of information from social media. Thus, we need to create stories that they can connect with and get to the top of their minds. People always have stories and experiences to share," Mr Wong told Asia Focus in an exclusive interview.
Hong Kong for years has been a global leader in the tourism industry. Last year it came first among the world's 25 most visited cities, surpassing London, according to a survey published by CNN. And just last month, Hong Kong topped the annual Top 100 City Destinations survey by Euromonitor International for the seventh year in a row. Visitors from mainland China are a big reason for the territory's lofty status.
However, Hong Kong recently has been experiencing fluctuations in tourist arrivals. Total arrivals dropped 4.4% last year to 56.6 million from 59.3 million in 2015. Arrivals from the mainland fell 6.7% as a result of the "One Visit Per Week" policy issued by the Beijing government to cap visits from neighbouring Shenzhen to curb cross-border "parallel trading", according to an HKTB news release.
However, the reduction was partially offset by international arrivals that increased by 3.1%, with growth from short-haul markets in Asia up by an impressive 8.4%. Significant gains were also seen from the Philippines (12.4%), Indonesia and Thailand (12.3% each). Growth drivers included the expansion of the middle class, low-cost airlines and information sharing via social media.
Mr Wong said the HKTB viewed Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia as growing markets and had an ambitious target for double-digit growth. However, it needs to work harder in Singapore and Malaysia where low-cost carriers can influence people to travel to closer neighbouring countries.
"In both countries, our goal is to fend off competition from competitive low-cost airlines (which can divert travellers to other destinations). We will focus on using marketing tools such as social media to communicate and work more with local agents," said Mr Wong, who has worked for the HKTB in various areas including China.
"In Malaysia, there is large group of Muslim travellers we are trying to woo. We need to communicate that Hong Kong is Muslim-friendly city. But it is not overnight process. Indeed, there are around 200,000 Muslims working, studying and living in Hong Kong. So Hong Kong is a city that is evolving in terms of halal offerings."
NEW POSITIONS, NEW MARKETS
Hong Kong has long been known for high-rise buildings, luxury shopping and Chinese delicacies. But those old touristy assets might be insufficient for it to stay on the top of the game. During the past five years, the government and the private sector have invested in developing and upgrading infrastructure and new destinations to attract tourists.
Designed by Sir Norman Foster, the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal was completed in 2013. The government of Hong Kong hopes the terminal will help make the territory the regional cruise hub for East Asia. Kai Tak Cruise Terminal
Among those is Kai Tak Cruise Terminal. Opened in June 2013, the terminal is part of attempts to make Hong Kong the regional cruise hub for East Asia. Ocean Park just underwent a major facelift and the government is discussing with Walt Disney ways to enhance the attractions at Hong Kong Disneyland. As well, vintage buildings are being renovated into hip places with attractions such as art galleries to show off a more youthful and modernised Hong Kong.
The aim is to have more and better destinations to cater to various segments of visitors. In Southeast Asia, the HKTB aims to target two segments: family travellers and "trend hunters" -- a term to describe trend-conscious travellers who seek authentic experiences.
"The family segment might not be that large but it turns out to be a very big market during the school holiday season," said Mr Wong. "We have facilities and destinations to cater to them. Hong Kong has a number of theme parks and also theme restaurants. The city is also a safe and easy place to get around.
"Trend hunters are a collective group of 'anyone including us'. They have a curiosity about finding authentic experiences in Hong Kong and in our TV commercials, we try to bring out these experiences; we try to encourage people to spend more time looking at Hong Kong's local neighbourhoods."
CHALLENGES AND SOLUTIONS
For Mr Wong, who worked in the airline industry for over a decade, a huge obstacle to tourism in Asia is inadequate flight capacity, especially now that low-cost airlines have encouraged more middle-class Asians to travel.
"The region still needs more air travel capacity because without flights, nobody can travel," he said, citing flights between Bangkok and Hong Kong as an example.
"Air flights between Hong Kong and Bangkok are the most booked. There are 11 airlines carrying people between both destinations and this constitutes good growth."
Competition among countries in the region is also heating up, with Taiwan and South Korea emerging and developing new attractions. In Singapore, Gardens by the Bay is a major new offering intended to broaden the appeal of the city-state beyond shopping and its casino resorts.
"Competition will always remain there. Yet, there is also the good side to it. There has been cooperation among countries in the region," said Mr Wong.
For example, Hong Kong and Macau benefit from their close proximity. Travellers who love gambling can travel to Hong Kong and go to Macau, or vice versa. And they can use either or both as a base for visiting other areas nearby.
One area where cooperation can create win-win solutions is cruise travel. "Cruise travel is about experiencing various excursions," said Mr Wong. "In this respect, we need to work with other countries to create routes."
PMQ is a new hipster attraction in Hong Kong. Located in Sheung Wan, an art and antiques trade zone, the building was once a block of flats for policemen. The government has had it renovated into a public art space for artists and designers. (Photo: Anchalee Kongrut)