Marketing in Hong Kong

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A Case Study of Destination Marketing in Hong Kong
Sang Won Jung, M.S. Yu-Chin (Jerrie) Hsieh, PhD The University of North Carolina at Greensboro [email protected] Erick Byrd, PhD The University of North Carolina at Greensboro David Cardenas, PhD The University of North Carolina at Greensboro Introduction Despite the disadvantages of limited land and resources, Hong Kong was named one of the top 10 tourist destinations by the World Tourism Organization in 2004. The purpose of this study was to examine how Hong Kong has become one of the most attractive destinations in the world, and to identify the best practices of destination marketing used in Hong Kong. Extensive review of literature was conducted regarding destination marketing, destination marketing organizations (DMOs), and marketing theories such as market segmentation, market targeting, market positioning and the marketing mix model. Method A case study research design was utilized to analyze the strategies and activities used to promote Hong Kong as a tourist destination. Three phases were developed to achieve this goal. Phase One: Collect Data in the Field The researcher collected relevant written information related to tourism promotion, tourism marketing, and tourism development from multiple resources, including Hong Kong Tourism-Related Organization Websites, On-Line Search Engines, International Tourism-Related Organizations, Newsletters, Official Government Reports, Tourism-Related Academic Journals Searched by Database. The documents related to Hong Kong travel and tourism published between 2000 and 2006 were retrieved from the above sources. A data archive spanning 2000 to 2006 was then created. Phase Two: Documentation Review The researcher reviewed each of the documents (archival data) thoroughly and identified specific tourism-related activities, festivals, events, and promotions in Hong Kong over the past six years. The researcher categorized the documents based on the marketing mix model of eight Ps. The researcher then made a list of identified tourism promotions and organized them sequentially. Phase Three: Evaluate and Analyze the Data The researcher analyzed the list using the principle of marketing mix theories. That is, the researcher tried to observe which marketing theories were actually adopted to promote Hong Kong tourism.

Based on the data reviewed, the researchers analyzed which marketing theories were actually adopted to promote Hong Kong tourism. Findings Based on the thorough review of data gathered, several strengths were identified in terms of destination marketing in Hong Kong. These included: Effective Tourism Organizations The examples are Tourism Commission and Hong Kong Tourism Board. Continuing Tourism Product Development Throughout its limited land, Hong Kong has been aggressively developing a variety of world-class tourist attractions. Some major developments include A Symphony of Lights, the Avenue of Stars, the Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade Beautification Project, the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, the Ngong Ping 360, and the Hong Kong Wetland Park (Tourism Commission, 2005). A Variety of Annual Festivals and Cultural Events Hong Kong residents are proud of its colorful history and unique oriental culture, especially as related to the ancient Chinese traditions. Some of the region’s most popular annual festivals and events embody the essence of Chinese culture. Hong Kong’s representatives have successfully developed its cultural festivals and events into worldwide, famous must-see or must-do attractions, which provide an excellent example of successful cultural tourism. The major festivals and events include Chinese New Year Celebrations, Hong Kong WinterFest, Hong Kong Flower Show, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Shopping Festival, Cultural Kaleidoscope, and Best of the Best Culinary Awards (HKTB, 2005). Outstanding Tourism Campaigns and Promotions The HKTB has been consistently leading a series of ambitious, impressive tourism campaigns and promotions since 2000. These ceaseless efforts have contributed greatly toward positioning Hong Kong as one of the top world tourist destinations. The major tourism campaigns include The City of Life, Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Parade and Fiesta, HSBC Hong Kong Mega Sale and Hong Kong WinterFest, and Hong Kong Salutes the World. Quality Service Controls Hong Kong has made every effort to enhance the service quality of facilities and a generally hospitable atmosphere. These include the efforts of Travel Agents Ordinance, Quality Tourism Services (QTS), TOP (Tourism Orientation Program), Tourism Services Award, and A Hospitable Hong Kong campaign (HKTB, 2005). These measures are meant to reinforce Hong Kong’s image as a leading travel destination that offers worldclass standards of quality, service, and hospitality. Hospitality Programs through Overseas Market Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning Activities The HKTB has segmented the inbound tourism market into different geographic areas. The geographic market segmentation can be classified into mainland China, Taiwan, North Asia, Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe. Active On-line Marketing through a DMO Website The HKTB introduced on-line tourism marketing in 1995 by establishing a consumer website. This was re-launched at www.discoverhongkong.com in late 2000. The HKTB website applied the well-recognized key marketing principles of market

segmentation, positioning, partnership, and relationship marketing. The website provided rich and useful information for traditional segments, such as leisure travelers, business travelers, stopover travelers, and family group tourists, as well as other travel segments, such as for meetings, conventions, and corporate incentive travels. It was also easy to recognize the logo of Hong Kong, the slogan of 2006 Discover Hong Kong Year, and positioning statements such as Hong Kong− Live it, Love it and Feel it, Enjoy it, and Taste it on most pages (HKTB, 2006). Hyperlinks to other organizations and sponsors, such as the Hong Kong Information Center, Tourism Commission, airlines, hotels, shopping malls, and restaurants were well-established, indicating a strong partnership with government and tourism industry. To enhance closer customer relationships, a diversity of inquiries, suggestions, recommendations, and feedback systems were already established well. Conclusion The findings revealed several strengths of Hong Kong tourism in terms of destination marketing. These included: effective tourism organizations, continuing tourism product development, a unique variety of annual festivals and cultural events, outstanding tourism campaigns and promotions, quality service controls and hospitality programs, thorough overseas market segmentation, targeting, and positioning activities, and active on-line marketing through a DMO website. Other countries in Asia, which are comparable to Hong Kong can use these benchmarks and strategies to improve their destination marketing performance.

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