Connectivity was a key theme at the launch of the Greater Bay Area
(GBA) tourism brand, a new promotion brand jointly spearheaded by the
Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the Department of Culture and Tourism of
Guangdong Province and the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).
The campaign kicked off Thursday (19 October) with the first
large-scale overseas GBA promotion event after the pandemic in Bangkok,
under the theme “Greater Bay Area – Connecting Great Experiences”.
A delegation of more than 30 representatives introduced the latest
tourism developments in GBA to over 100 trade partners, media, and key
opinion leaders in Thailand, inspiring travel trade partners in
designing itineraries and generating positive media coverage to attract
visitors.
HKTB, in collaboration with the tourism offices of Guangdong and
Macao, introduced the novel tourism appeals to Thailand trade partners
and media. Additionally, a new all-in-one GBA tourism website,
where visitors can discover about 90 attractions and experiences across
the “9+2 cities” in GBA according to four major experiences, namely
“Local Delicacy”, “Cultural & Heritage”, “Theme Park Thrills” and
“Festive Celebrations”.
Dane Cheng, the executive director of the HKTB, observing the trend
of multi-destination travel in the wake of the pandemic, remarked, “Hong
Kong has the advantage of its exceptional connectivity with the world
and plays a crucial role in promoting GBA tourism. By consolidating the
abundant tourism resources of the ‘9+2 cities’, the HKTB is launching a
series of promotions under the new GBA tourism brand to showcase the
all-round tourism experiences available within the region, attracting
visitors to plan their multi-destination journey in the GBA, and further
enhancing the tourism competitiveness of the entire region.”
Dedicated promotional booths were set up at the GBA promotion event to highlight the tourism appeal of each city.
Betty Fok, head of Destination Marketing Department of MGTO, said,
“Macao is celebrated for its world heritage ‘Historic Centre of Macao’
and reputation as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy; together with
the city’s world-class integrated resorts and leisure facilities as well
as exciting mega events, Macao continues to deepen the integration
between tourism and other sectors, promote diversified tourism
development, and consolidate its positioning as a world centre of
tourism and leisure.”
Zhang Yimin, deputy director general of Department of Culture and
Tourism of Guangdong Province, said, “Guangdong and Thailand are
important tourist sources and destinations for each other… Through this
event, the Department of Culture and Tourism of Guangdong Province
promoted the culture and tourism assets of cities of the Greater Bay
Area, which in turn enriched the contents of multi-destination
itineraries to the GBA.”
In addition to the greater connectivity in travel and tranportantion
between GBA partners, Southeast Asia also enjoys connectivity with the
GBA through its historical and cultural ties, owing the the migration of
Chinese from Southern China to this region, said Cheng.
Fok added that the MGTO will tap its connection with Portuguese
speaking countries to promote GBA tourism, ensuring a “win-win
partnership” for all three partner destinations.