Branding vital for future of Bay Area tourism: Industry leaders
Some inspiring branding for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area would help the 11-city cluster attract more international travelers, tourism industry leaders said on Wednesday.
The remarks came during a panel discussion of the 2018 Hong Kong International Tourism Convention at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
Michael Colglazier, president of Disney Parks Eastern Region, stressed the Bay Area’s potential for further tourism development. He said it was rare to see so many different tourist attractions in such a condensed area.
Colglazier was referring to the booming entertainment industry in Macao, world-class theme parks and other attractions in Hong Kong and many natural and cultural attractions found in 11 cities in the region.
He believes consumers today still consider different cities in the Bay Area as individual travel destinations — rather than a single one. This is a challenge the area is facing as it competes with other places overseas, Colglazier said.
He said governments and the tourism industry across the region should cooperate more to come up with “clear branding” for the Bay Area as a whole. This would position the region as a unique travel destination, Colglazier added.
Taking California as an example, he noted that about 15 years ago the western state in the United States lost tourist market share to other parts of the country and to Europe. This was despite California boasting famous cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and exciting destinations such as Hollywood and nearby gambling capital Las Vegas.
The state was losing market share due to a government strategy to promote its many attractions on an individual basis, Colglazier explained.
Facing a declining tourism industry, the government and private sector in California started a marketing campaign to promote the state. They used the slogan “Dream Big” and “All Dreams Welcome” and branded California as a diverse destination welcoming all types of visitors.
“By creating these emotional appeals, they got people excited and inspired about visiting California,” explained Colglazier. This state is now the US’s top travel destination, he added.
Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, director of the Macao Government Tourism Office, agreed with this approach. She also said that with the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and the Hong Kong-ZhuhaiMacao Bridge opening up, it was a good time for the industry to work together to boost tourism in the region.
Attracting skilled people was vital to promoting development and devising new strategies, said Song Haiyan, associate dean and chair professor of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Song noted that Hong Kong had some of the world’s best universities so it could offer tourism-related programs.
He said Hong Kong could pass on this expertise to other cities in the Bay Area through cooperative university programs and professional training. This would help the area nurture more skilled people and increase the overall service quality offered to international travelers.