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Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and tourism bodies in the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (HKSAR) are exploring ways to collaborate and benefit from each other’s expertise with events, culture and cruise tourism high on the agenda.
The move comes following meetings in the HKSAR between ADTA’s Director General, His Excellency Mubarak Al Muhairi, and leading Hong Kong tourism officials.
During a meeting with Anthony Lau, Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), ADTA officials and their counterparts exchanged data on the performance of their respective tourism sectors in 2009 and 2010.
Hong Kong and Abu Dhabi last year bucked falling tourism trends globally with the Special Administration Region receiving some 29.5 million visitors – a rise of 0.3% on 2008 – while Abu Dhabi achieved a 2% increase in its hotel guests to 1.54 million.
HKTB revealed that it has prioritised the GCC, alongside India and Russia, as one of its top three emerging markets, while ADTA said that Hong Kong, as a gateway to mainland China, has a key role in its Greater China market development strategy but stressed that of the lack of direct air links between the two needs to be resolved.
The two authorities pledged to investigate closer participation in each other’s increasingly vibrant events portfolio. Hong Kong asked Abu Dhabi to consider participating in its annual Chinese New Year Street Parade, with Mr Lau saying the event would be an extremely high profile awareness building vehicle for Abu Dhabi with it drawing 250,000 spectators to Hong Kong’s harbourfront and a TV audience on the island and mainland China running into millions.
ADTA asked Hong Kong to become more deeply involved in its annual Gourmet Abu Dhabi culinary festival following this year’s highly successful participation by masterchef Tam Kowk Fong, a former World Champion in Chinese cooking.
“There are significant similarities in the strategies of the HKTB and ADTA particularly in its commitment to deliver world-class events to its visitors and residents alike,” explained Al Muhairi. “Hong Kong is a leading destination and we can learn from HKTB’s 43 years of destination marketing expertise sharing our insights and assisting its efforts in targeting more GCC travellers.”
A meeting with Philip W. H. Yung, Tourism Commissioner of Hong Kong’s Commerce & Economic Development Board focussed heavily on the high potential international cruise tourism market and Abu Dhabi’s plans for the world’s largest concentration of premier cultural institutions being built on its signature Saadiyat Island destination.
Hong Kong is currently building a new cruise terminal at the site of its old Kai Tak International Airport, designed by Lord Norman Foster – the architect behind Abu Dhabi’s upcoming Zayed National Museum.
The terminal, due to open in 2013, will be capable of handling mega cruise vessels of up to 160,000 gross tonnage and 3,000 passengers per hour with dedicated customs, immigration and quarantine facilities. It will be a multi-purpose facility for events, exhibitions, retail, as well as a visitor centre.
ADTA officials explained that Abu Dhabi is progressing a feasibility study into the prospect of a dedicated cruise terminal to progress its home-port ambitions.
Commissioner Yung also requested for a briefing on Abu Dhabi’s plans for the Saadiyat Island Cultural District, in particular the emirate’s approach towards international museum partnerships.
The delegation also visited the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s (HKPU) School of Hotel and Tourism Management which provides industry professional training to ADTA and its stakeholders under a Memorandum of Understanding signed by both parties last year. Later ADTA and TDIC officials visited the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), where they shared plans on their respective developments.
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