NIGHTLIFE, horse-racing, stunning natural scenery along with vibrant neighbourhoods and world-class infrastructure are among the experiences nearly 150 corporate travel organisers from across Asia sampled in Hong Kong during a reward tour combined with award ceremony.
The delegates are drawn from the best performing MICE agents in Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB)’s key markets and took the stage yesterday at the launch of the Hong Kong Incentive Playbook, which showcases incentive ideas for business events. HKTB said it was the largest gathering of MICE-travel buyers the city has hosted.
The Playbook provides details on activities, locations, venues and more under five themes:
- Arts and Culture: Featuring the Art Basel and Art Central; events alongside the museums and galleries of the West Kowloon Cultural District;
- Hong Kong Signatures: Highlighting city icons such as the Peak Tram, Star Ferry, Ngong Ping cable car, theme parks along with the city’s two main venues, events such as the Hong Kong Sevens rugby and the forthcoming Kai Tak Sports Park stadium;
- Wellness and Nature: Provides information on Hong Kong’s geoparks, hiking trails and more;
- Neigbourhoods: Organisers are given tips on finding unique experiences for groups ranging from local dining, craftsmanship across the city’s localities such as Old Town Central and neighbourhoods around West Kowloon;
- Nightlife and Parties: Lan Kwai Fong was generously promoted at the Playbook launch, but bar hopping and cocktail-making classes can also be found in the fashionable Soho area and elsewhere.
Dane Chung, executive director of HKTB, said comments from corporate travel and incentive organisers in the past pointed out there was too much to choose from when it came to bringing groups to Hong Kong. Some of the best ideas have been packaged in the Incentive Playbook to provide solutions to organisers.
“I think the incentive travel and incentive tours are most demanding and difficult to arrange. I’m sure you’ll be looking for the best experiences for your clients as well as the best arrangements, so all the details [can] be attended to,” Cheng told the audience at The Regent.
“In these few days, our overseas agents will experience some of these selected activities, which will inspire you to create unique itineraries in Hong Kong for your corporate clients.”
About 40 of the buyer contingents are from mainland China with the other top-performing agents from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea and India.
Each of themes was presented on stage with song and dance acts to emphasis Hong Kong’s entertainment culture along with the city’s creativity and vibrancy.
The Incentive Playbook marked the first time HKTB’s top MICE agents were gathered in the one location since Covid restrictions were fully lifted in March last year.
“Over the past year, Hong Kong’s meeting and incentive (M&I) travel tourism showed a robust recovery,” Cheng added.
“In 2023, among the 1.3 million overnight meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions arrivals, more than 60 per cent are M&I visitors, who not only have higher spender power but also attach greater importance the quality of travels. Hong Kong’s diverse tourism resources with quality and efficient trade services make it an ideal choice for M&I travel.
Cheng said the thematic guidebook for meetings and incentive groups offered the city’s newest, trendiest and most popular travel experiences to inspire organisers to plan unique, fun itineraries.
“HKTB also encourages our trade partners to first experience these activities in person so that they can include them in the itineraries when creating products for their clients, promoting Hong Kong as the top incentive destination.”
