Reflection Paper On Hong Kong Tourism Tourism Essay Essay Example

Reflection Paper On Hong Kong Tourism Tourism Essay Essay Hong Kong touristry is one of the four pillars in its economic system. With its image as a widely distributed metropolis, Hong Kong has attracted 1000000s of tourers each twelvemonth. However there are touristry issues that should non be overlooked by the authorities and the Hong Kong Tourism Commission ( HKTC ) in order to develop schemes to keep the long term sustainability of Hong Kong touristry. In this paper, a state of affairs appraisal is presented and cardinal touristry issues are identified together with the jobs associated and relevant schemes to get the better of these jobs identified. After the handover of Hong Kong back to the custodies of China in 1997, Hong Kong developed its strong links with China. Tourism is with no exclusion. In 2010, Hong Kong recorded 36 million visitants with more than 60 % of visitants coming from Mainland China ( HKTB, 2011 ) . This was the consequence of the extension of Individual Visit Scheme ( IVS ) and the relaxation of visa agreement that stimulate the demand. In the approaching hereafter, demand from Chinese tourers is still in a grow. We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection Paper On Hong Kong Tourism Tourism Essay specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection Paper On Hong Kong Tourism Tourism Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Reflection Paper On Hong Kong Tourism Tourism Essay specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Despite the stable demand from Chinese tourers, Hong Kong faces immense challenges from nearby finishs. Hong Kong is used to hold being a shopping Eden and being a MICE finish as its competitory borders, nevertheless these borders seem to be contracting down. Hainan state in China has launched a shopping revenue enhancement refund plan to pull non-residents to pass in shopping ( People s Daily, 2011 ) . Singapore and Macau have developed casino resorts together with MICE installations to pull concern touristry. Despite all these, Hong Kong still has its advantage on its geographic location to be a gateway to China which attracts 1000000s of people in and out of Hong Kong as a hub. Besides, Hong Kong is a widely distributed metropolis and an Asia s universe metropolis which contains features of the West and the East, tradition and modern-day which is appealing to abroad tourers. Its fiscal place in Hong Kong has attracted many concern travellers to come to Hong Kong for concern intent and its image of being a Shopping and Food Paradise has besides attracted many leisure tourers. Though Hong Kong still has these advantages, these competitions should non be overlooked in order to strategically keep its long term sustainability. Tourism Issue 1 Reliance on Chinese tourers In the visible radiation of the immense portion of Chinese tourers in the mix of Hong Kong tourer reachings, it is an issue of whether Hong Kong touristry should trust that much on the Chinese market. Some protagonists would state the immense supply and disbursement of Chinese tourers has stabilized Hong Kong touristry demand. From the statistics obtained by HKTB ( 2011 ) , while the Numberss of short draw tourers from Taiwan and Japan and that of long haul tourers from Europe and USA declined in the past 10 old ages, the visitant figure from Mainland China grew quickly. It can be said that Chinese tourers have sustained Hong Kong touristry. Furthermore, harmonizing to another statistics from HKTB ( 2011 ) , Chinese tourers were large Spenders that have accounted for 69 % of the entire visitants disbursement in 2010. All these grounds have led Hong Kong to develop touristry policy particularly for this group of tourers. However, over trust on the Chinese market would make jobs every bit good. In instance of external forces or merely the alteration of gustatory sensation of Chinese tourer would present troubles for Hong Kong to keep its visitants figure. The 12th National 5-Year Plan released by the Chinese authorities is one of the external forces mentioned. It was the first clip that Hong Kong touristry was non highlighted in the program, alternatively the Chinese authorities intended to develop Macau as a first touristry and leisure centre ( Hong Kong s Information Services Department, 2011 ) . With this purpose, the Chinese authorities might be policies that favor that development of Macau touristry. In that instance, more Chinese tourers would be encouraged to travel to Macau alternatively of Hong Kong. Back to Hong Kong, instances like Ah Zhen incident that happened late would deter Chinese tourers to go to Hong Kong. Ah Zhen has been accused to hold damaged Hong Kong s repute as Shopping Paradise by faulting Chinese tourers for non buying keepsakes from designated stores. Similar incidents have besides happened after this ( Wall Street Journal, 2010 ) . These incidents would impede more Chinese tourers to go to Hong Kong for shopping. In the long tally, this would present challenges to Hong Kong touristry. China is a immense market that would provide sufficient demand for Hong Kong touristry, Hong Kong authorities should go on retaining this group of invitees to come to Hong Kong. In order to accomplish this, there are several recommendations to protect the involvements of these invitees. First, the authorities could spread out its Quality and Honest Hong Kong Tours Programme to go on beef uping Hong Kong s image as a quality and value for money finish. At the minute, the programme has been carried out in 27 Mainland metropoliss and besides in the practical universe on the Internet. Participating travel agents in the strategy have to perpetrate that their paths should non incorporate designated shopping Michigans and forced shopping and forced self-paid activities. In the new enlargement of the programme, the authorities can advance these Tourss together with its benefits in more metropoliss in China. Besides, the authorities can besides advance them more extensively via different communicating channels, e.g. Television advertizement, societal media, etc. Furthermore, secret shopper run should be continued and done more extensively to descry out illegal or unethical behaviours of travel ushers to keep a satisfactory degree of services. This run can be used to ease the execution of the Quality and Honest Hong Kong Tours Programme every bit good to do certain the travel bureaus in China and in Hong Kong if they are following the guidelines offered by Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong ( TIC ) and the Hong Kong Tourism Commission ( HKTC ) . It is hoped that by this run, travel bureaus would self modulate themselves in service bringing and proviso. Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong ( TIC ) should develop a more regulative system to warn and penalize travel bureaus or tourer ushers one time illegal or unethical behaviours have been spotted out. In the instance of Ah Zhen, originally she was suspended from being a circuit usher after the instance discovered, nevertheless, after her entreaty to TIC, she is now suspended for merely half twelvemonth. This indicates the ineffectualness of the bing system which could let similar incidents to go on in the hereafter. TIC should be more careful in planing its regulative system in order to exert more regulative power and penalty on Hong Kong circuit operators and tour ushers who have offended the regulations and gives more assurance to Chinese tourers, therefore remedy the bad repute built. However, for the long term benefit of Hong Kong touristry, over concentrating on one market section could be unsafe, Hong Kong authorities should besides happen ways to pull other markets. Issue 2 Sustainability of cultural and heritage attractive forces In position of this and the acute competition from neighbouring finishs, Hong Kong has tried its best to develop new touristry merchandises to get the better of these challenges. Cultural attractive forces are popular among these new attractive forces in recent old ages to better Hong Kong s cultural image. Tsim Sha Tsui plaza and the West Kowloon Cultural District are two of the large undertakings that the authorities has under taken as new touristry attractive forces. Besides, the authorities has besides emphasized in developing heritages to showcase Hong Kong s assorted civilization. Examples are the former Marine Police Headquarter in Tsim Sha Tsui which has renovated to go a square 1881 Heritage and a boutique hotel named Hullett House . Another illustration would be the Central market which will be developed into Cardinal Oasis and the undertaking of regenerating the Former Police Station is Central. One cardinal issue that can be identified among all these undertakings is whether they could heighten sustainability. Harmonizing to the Chief Executive in 1999 ( Hong Kong Sustainable Department, 2008 ) , the Hong Kong authorities would guarantee a sustainable development to convey about full integrating of economic and societal development with preservation of environment. In order to accomplish this, local engagement is really of import in taking to sustainable development which gives win-win state of affairs to all parties of the society. However, one common key critics faced by the authorities in these large undertakings is deficiency of transparence. For illustration, in the instance of Tsim Sha Tsui Piazza, a workshop that aims to garner sentiments from different parties was subjected to inquiry as these parties were largely come from the authorities or government-related organisations ( Tourism Commission, 2007 ) . Another illustration is from another large undertaking, the West Kowloon Cultural District. The direction authorization of the undertaking is questioned as all of the 15 members from the authorization were appointed by the authorities. Therefore, it is normally believed that due to miss of transparence, the involvement of the authorities might hold affected the direction. For heritage sites development, given that the Heritage Tourism Task Force was set up in 1998, it was blamed to be deficiency of leading and deficiency of influence in the authorities bureaucratism ( Chu and Uebegang, 2002 ) . The kernel of sustainable touristry development is how to equilibrate different positions from different parties which is really a immense challenge that the authorities has to confront in planning and developing tourist attractive forces. In order to to the full implement sustainable touristry development, a bottom-up attack has to be adopted to roll up more nonsubjective positions from all sectors in Hong Kong so that specific demands could be satisfied and win-win state of affairs for tourers and locals could be achieved. Cooperation with and engagement of locals or important cultural group should be guaranteed and local community should be involved at the get downing phase of planning and operation to avoid these heritages to lose its original value, particularly to the locals who have grown up with these heritage sites. It is hoped that by this attack, the unity and genuineness of the heritage could be maintained while new elements like environmental friendly designs could be be sides involved in the new design. Another job raised from sustainability is whether these new attractive forces could showcase the local elements. Possibly due to the image of Hong Kong as being an international metropolis, projecting an image of East-meet-West, attractive forces are frequently blamed to be deficiency of local features. For illustration, in the instance of West Kowloon Cultural District, even one of the consultative commissions of the undertaking criticized that the design is deficiency of local elements ( HKheadline, 2011 ) . This job has to be dealt decently, or else every new attractive force in Hong Kong would present similar image to tourers, particularly for revitalized heritage attractive forces which are supposed to present a alone image and background cognition of Hong Kong so that visitants could appreciate and understand more about Hong Kong. One of the solutions is to maintain up with public audiences and gather sentiments of the populace about the sort of local civilization to be include d in the design of new attractive forces. By that, local civilization could be incorporated into the design and would non be missed out. Decision With its strong nexus to China, Hong Kong relies on the supply of Chinese tourers to prolong touristry. Though the immense figure of Chinese tourers remains a consistent supply, there are hazards associated with it and as a authorities organic structure, HKTC should develop steps to besides pull other markets and diversify the profile of Hong Kong visitants. On the other manus, sustainable touristry development is frequently questioned due to miss of transparence and overlook of Hong Kong local elements in development new attractive forces. HKTC and the authorities should affect a more crystalline public audience and public battle so as to vouch a more sustainable touristry planning and development.