NEW YORK, New York – The US is the largest long-haul visitor source market for both Hong Kong and Taiwan. The steady recovery in the US economy has resulted in a 4.5% year-on-year growth in US arrivals in both destinations.
It was fitting then that Hong Kong and Taiwan announced today a first-ever collaboration to jointly promote multi-destination travel in Asia. The tourism boards of both destinations, namely the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and the Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB) jointly announced the partnership today. The initiative targets North American markets with the aim of attracting more leisure travel arrivals to Hong Kong and Taiwan.
There are currently over 200 flight connections a week between the US to Taiwan and Hong Kong, and this is expected to increase 6.5% in 2016. Riding on this momentum, the new multi-destination initiative will persuade American travelers to get the maximum value for their travel dollar by travelling to two of Asia’s most fascinating destinations in one Asian trip. Hong Kong and Taiwan are perfect twin destinations in Asia for this partnership opportunity. They are very conveniently linked, only around 80 minutes apart by plane, with over 60 flights a day.
In terms of destination appeal, Hong Kong and Taiwan have unique experiences to offer. Hong Kong, as Asia’s World City, has a cosmopolitan lifestyle and the magnificent Victoria Harbour skyline view. The East-meets-West culture and Michelin acclaimed world class culinary scene is also a signature appeal of Hong Kong. Taiwan, meanwhile, is famous for its beautiful greenery, LOHAS lifestyle, superb local food and living culture. The setting, lifestyle and food culture of Hong Kong and Taiwan are complementary to each other and fascinate many visitors.
HKTB Executive Director Mr. Anthony Lau said, “According to our survey, 92% of visitors from the US arriving in Hong Kong would like to visit other destinations on the same trip. The trend of multi-destination travel in Asia has been gaining importance in recent years, as tourists want to get the most out of each trip. We are confident that this cooperation between Hong Kong and Taiwan will help draw more visitors to Asia and drive our mutual business.”
TTB Deputy Director – General Dr. Wayne Liu said, “Data shows that in recent years the US arrival has been increasing steadily, and the growth was the fastest among all long haul markets in the last year. This suggests that travelling to Taiwan has already sparked interest among American tourists. With the increasing of direct flights between US, Taiwan and Hong Kong, we believe by joining hands with Hong Kong, promoting a full Asia experience in one single trip, could attract more American visitors. We are confident that this would soon become their top choice for travel to Asia.”
PHOTO (L-R): Director of HKTB US Mr. Bill Flora, Executive Director of HKTB Mr. Anthony Lau, Chairman of HKTB Dr. Peter Lam, Deputy Director-General of TTB Dr. Wayne Liu, Director of TTB New York Mr. Thomas Chang, and Director of TTB Los Angeles Mr. Brad Shih share a toast to solidify the multi-destination partnership between the Hog Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) and Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB) on Thursday, March 10, 2016, in New York. / Photo courtesy of Yifu Chien, Hong Kong Tourism Board
