HONG KONG - Get ready to be wowed by some innovative Hong Kong marketing thanks to a new, elite Hong Kong think-tank. The Heritage Tourism Brands group, a collaboration between the city’s top echelon hoteliers, is about to launch a television commercial (TVC) ready to help fuel the inbound tourism rebound, when it happens.
Jennifer Cronin, president of Wharf Hotels and chair of the group, who brings a background of crisis leadership and industry experience, describes the upcoming video as, “very emotive. It will showcase the spirit of Hong Kong and a lot of the unique experiences of Hong Kong.”
The mini-movie will be just one of many upcoming tools in the group’s marketing kit designed to share across the brands’ individual digital networks. Spreading positive messages about the city, the goal is also to support and protect the city’s travel and tourism industry and its stakeholders.
“We will all be key beneficiaries if we create the desire to come back to visit Hong Kong,” says Stefan Leser, CEO Langham Hospitality Group.
The companies involved in Heritage Tourism Brands, thanks to the initiative floated by Peter Borer, COO of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, also include Rosewood Hotel Group, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Harilela Hotels and Swire Hotels, plus Cathay Pacific.
The collaboration has initiated a succession of firsts, not only inspiring top hoteliers to work together and share best practices, but also creating a multi-brand marketing sub-group that has been sharing coveted media and key opinion leaders (KOL) lists.
The group is actively supporting and collaborating with Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and other industry bodies.
“We have all been reminded about how unique Hong Kong is in terms of the wonderful hospitality brands and characters without exception across every company,” says Dean Winter, group operations director, Swire Hotels.
One industry sector that will welcome this initiative will be travel agents as they prepare to market the city as an inbound travel destination when the border restrictions relax. “We can’t afford that part of the value chain to disappear,” says Leser.
With immigration restrictions between Hong Kong and mainland China likely to open first, and given the typical large proportion of mainland Chinese arrivals into the city, the brands’ combined digital networks will start communicating the positivity north of the border.
“Hong Kong will be part of the mainland China bubble, as well as the Greater Bay Area, including Macau,” says Dr Cronin. “If Hong Kong promotes the success story of how we dealt with Covid-19, mainland Chinese visitors will come here without a problem.”