The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has teamed up with the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality (TAGM), Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau (ZSMTB) and Jiangmen Tourism Bureau (JMTB) in a first-ever joint visit to Southeast Asia on 9-11 May. With a mission of promoting multi-destination travel to the five southern Chinese cities, the delegation will visit Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, meeting travel trade partners and media.
HKTB Executive Director, Anthony Lau said; “The Asian outbound travel market is booming, and the majority of the trips are within Asia. In particular, arrivals from Singapore to Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong have been on the increasing trend. Capitalising on these positive factors, the five cities of Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Jiangmen have been working closely together to promote travel to our region, which offers a great diversity of attractions and cultural experiences for visitors. Using a thematic approach, we have devised a range of itineraries that integrated the tourism resources of different cities.
“Hong Kong is well positioned to offer visitors the convenience of visiting multiple destinations in a single trip, given its close proximity to the Pearl River Delta, superb connectivity and excellent transportation infrastructure. In addition, the cosmopolitan and international setting of the city, its unique fusion of east and west, world-class shopping and dining, as well year-round calendar of spectacular events, can complement the travel experience of other cities, and cater for the interest of the young and family travellers in Singapore,” Lau added.
Betty Fok, Head of the MGTO’s Marketing Division, commented; “On the top of the list of food experiences that Macau has to offer to visitors is Macanese cuisine. Native to Macau, Macanese food results from the unique combination of elements from Portuguese and Chinese cuisines, with Indian and African spices, among other influences. While savouring the Macanese food, visitors can literally taste the uniqueness of Macau’s more than 400 years of cultural mix between East and West cultures represented by UNESCO-listed ‘The Historic Centre of Macau’. Also on the menu for visitors, Macau has a vast variety of restaurants to suit different tastes and budgets, ranging from Michelin-starred restaurants to street delicacies, all served in a relaxed atmosphere characteristic to the city.”
Li Zhi Xin, Deputy Director General of the TAGM, said; “Guangzhou, Zhongshan and Jiangmen each have their own unique tourism resources, and can complement the tourism offerings of Hong Kong and Macau to create great development potential in the region. In Guangzhou, one can find not only the signature natural scenery of Southern China, but also deep-rooted historic and cultural heritage sites, vibrant urban life and the Asian Games Village. There are also many themed attractions suitable for young couples and family visitors, such as the Chime Long Paradise, Sunflower Garden and Lingnan Impression Garden. Some of the family-oriented itineraries are introduced in this visit to encourage visitors to come for a first-hand experience.”
Che Wei, Director General of ZSMTB, said; “Zhongshan city is the hometown of Dr Sun Yat-sen, one of the three greatest men of the 20th century. It is also the only Chinese city named after a famous person. For one to know about the city, one needs to first understand the life of Dr Sun Yat-sen, whose revolutionary footprints are scattered in the five cities featured in this road show. Leveraging on the 100th anniversary of the Revolution of 1911 this year, the five cities have joined hands to promote history-themed multi-destination itineraries, so that visitors can trace the life and work of Dr Sun and his contribution to the revolution.”
Cheng Bu Yi, Director General of JMTB, concluded; “Jiangmen is famously known as an ’emigrants’ hometown’, because emigrants from the city can be found across 107 overseas countries and regions. In Southeast Asia alone, there are about 400,000 ethnic Chinese whose hometown is Jiangmen. The city is also home to rich tourism resources, including the Kaiping Diaolou and Villages, which have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Within the Xinhui district and four counties of Jiangmen, there are more than 3,000 Diaolou, and many scenes in the movie Let the Bullets Fly were filmed at the Diaolou. During this visit, we will showcase some movie-themed itineraries that bring visitors to explore the attractions where movies have been made.”
During the visit, the five cities introduced a range of multi-destination itineraries of different themes, including those featuring theme parks and heritage sites for the family segment, gourmet tours, movie tours, and offerings for younger travellers.
Pictured (from left) Ms. Betty Fok, Head of Marketing Division, Macau Government Tourist Office, Mr. Cheng Bu Yi, Director General, Jiangmen Tourism of Guangdong Province, Mr. Zheng Xiang Rong, Deputy Secretary General, Zhongshan Municipal Tourism Bureau, Mr. Anthony Lau, Executive Director, Hong Kong Tourism Board and Ms. Yang Hong Yan, Deputy Director, Tourism Administration of Guangzhou Municipality.
Comments are closed.