Making History

The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB) have unveiled details of a historic joint initiative that will see the two organizations promoting multi-destination travel in Asia to North American travellers, reports executive editor, Bob Mowat in this week’s digital edition of Canadian Travel Press.

The deal is a first for Hong Kong and Taiwan and it is one that takes advantage of an opportunity to generate additional business for both destinations while providing Canadian and American leisure travellers with some attractive new travel options.

HKTB executive director Anthony Lau points out that there are currently over 50 flights a week connecting Canada to Taiwan and Hong Kong and that lift is expected to increase by 11% in 2016.

“So we see this connectivity [as an] opportunity,” he told Canadian Travel Press, adding, “We think it makes business sense for our destinations to work together.”

Hong Kong and Taiwan are only about 80 minutes apart by air and are linked by over 60 flights a day.
Canada is one of the most important long-haul visitor source markets for both Hong Kong and Taiwan and in 2015 the two destinations saw a steady growth in Canadian arrivals.

Certainly both destinations complement each other in terms of what they offer to their visitors. Hong Kong is Asia’s “World City” and has a cosmopolitan lifestyle that welcomes its visitors with a dramatic view of the Victoria Harbour skyline. Its East-meets-West culture and Michelin-acclaimed culinary scene is also a signature appeal of Hong Kong.

Taiwan, meanwhile, is famous for its beautiful scenery, its lifestyles of health and sustainability (LOHAS) style, superb local food and living culture. Not to mention that for North American travellers, Taiwan is a relatively undiscovered destination that gives it a certain cache in the market place.

The end result is that both destinations have their own unique appeal in terms of the experiences that they provide to their visitors.

Lau notes, “According to our survey, 94% of visitors from Canada arriving in Hong Kong would like to visit other destinations on the same trip. The trend of multi-destination travel in Asia has been gaining importance in recent years, as tourists want to get the most out of each trip. We are confident that this cooperation between Hong Kong and Taiwan will help draw more visitors to Asia and drive our mutual business.”

For the full story, check out this week’s digital edition of Canadian Travel Press by clicking here.