The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) had successfully concluded the Hello Hong Kong mega familiarisation trip for 35 leading travel brands and industry professionals from across key markets such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Ahmedabad. The Hong Kong familiarisation tour was designed to provide first-hand immersive experience to the leading travel consultants and product managers about Hong Kong’s latest tourism attractions, new developments, and unique local cultural experiences. The 5-day customised tour was organised in April, 2023, as a precursor into the preparation of the peak summer holiday season in India.
During the trip, the travel consultants got a chance to visit all the new attractions like M+ museum of visual culture, Hong Kong Palace Museum in West Kowloon Cultural District; Central Market; Tai Kwun; the brand new 6 th Generation Peak Tram; all season Water World Ocean Park; and experience the live magical night-time show ‘Momentous’ at Hong Kong Disneyland Resorts. The group also enjoyed horse racing at Shatin Racecourse and stunning views of the city skyline onboard Aqualuna cruise and from HK Sky100 Observation Deck. Every day the group also experienced Hong Kong’s rich international culinary delights sampling different cuisines in different neighbourhoods.
Commenting on the occasion of successful trade engagements Puneet Kumar, Director, South Asia & Middle East, Hong Kong Tourism Board said, ‘We are thrilled to welcome our Indian trade partners on our destination to showcase all the new and refreshed experiences around our incredible city. Our India partners were pleasantly surprised witnessing all the new tourism infrastructure, new developments and new products and were fully convinced that they can create and sell a 6-7 day mono-Hong Kong tour for their clients with so much to see and do in Hong Kong.
He further added, “This large scale destination familiarisation was possible with great support of our partner Cathay Pacific Airways from India. This is just one of the many joint trade engagements and market reactivation plans we have lined up this year as we continue to work closely with our India trade partners to raise awareness and profile of Hong Kong as a must-visit destination for Indian outbound travellers.”
Chirag Agrawal, Co-Founder, TravClan said, “During the pandemic, Hong Kong has gone through a sea-change in terms of new products and attractions such as M+ Museum and Hong Kong Palace Museum for art and culture enthusiasts and hiking trails for outdoor adventure seekers. The HKTB is taking all the right steps to highlight Hong Kong is back in action as a leisure and MICE tourism destination. Meeting over 30-trade partners in a day during the ‘Connect Hong Kong’ business session, seeing the warm hospitality and enthusiasm of hoteliers, attractions and various ground partners reaffirmed my confidence in selling Hong Kong to Indian travellers.”
Monia Kapoor, CEO, Travel O Holidays and Joint Secretary of the Outbound Tour Operators Association of India (OTOAI) said, “Visiting Hong Kong was an absolute pleasure. This trip offered a perfect blend of fun and learning as we got to explore Hong Kong’s bustling city, with countless attractions and activities. My personal highlights were experiencing horse racing at Shatin and visiting Tai Kwun. I will add to all my itineraries a visit to Victoria Peak to take in the stunning views of the City Skyline and enjoy a relaxed evening onboard Aqualuna. The ‘Connect Hong Kong’ session was very successful as it helped all buyers and sellers to connect with each other. With so many new options, I am much more confident in promoting and selling holidays to Hong Kong to those seeking an exciting and unforgettable travel experience.”
Ankita Shah, AVP – B2B Business & Process, Ease My Trip said, “It was definitely a great opportunity to experience the new developments and attractions along with old masterpieces, and connect with the local suppliers to make this trip an unforgettable and amazing experience.”
During this mega trade familiarisation program the HKTB also organised a full-day business networking session “Connect Hong Kong” where all the India trade partners had an opportunity to meet with over 110 Hong Kong trade partners on pre-schedule appointments with leading HK attractions, hotels, DMCs and experience sellers, enabling trade from both sides to network, share industry knowledge, and build connections for close collaborations.
For the HKTB, India is an important emerging market with huge inbound tourism potential in multiple segments, including leisure travel, fly-cruise holidays, bleisure, and MICE. The HKTB deeply values the affection shown by Indian visitors and corporates, as well as the unwavering support from trade partners. With Cathay Pacific Airways connecting Hong Kong seamlessly from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, Hong Kong is easily accessible to Indian travellers.
