If you think you know Hong Kong, think again. Simon Wong, the regional director of Southeast Asia at the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), recently spoke with Life about the best way to enjoy trips to the city.
Hong Kong Tourism Board's Southeast Asia regional director Simon Wong.
"My Time For…." is the new tourism campaign recently launched by the HKTB, which highlights nine core experiences — dining, shopping, city icons, heritage and tradition, Hong Kong after dark, great outdoors, festivals, sports and arts.
"We have selected Hong Kong opinion leaders who know Hong Kong very well, such as chefs and designers," Wong said. "These opinion leaders don't have to be born in Hong Kong, but they spend enough time there to find its hidden parts."
"My Time for Renewal", for example, highlights a fashion journey of famous Hong Kong designer JJ Acuna. "My Time for Urban Escapes" features Filipino-Canadian model Jason Godfrey, who offers recommendations to tourists on how to get a tan in the city.
Set for an October launch is "My Taste of Hong Kong". For it, six rising chefs from Southeast Asia, including celebrity chef Duangporn Songvisava, or Chef Bo, from Thailand, spent a week in Hong Kong. The chefs visited various places to taste and find authentic ingredients and foods with local food expert Michelle Lo. Each chef then came up with their own Hong Kong-inspired dishes.
"My Taste of Hong Kong" will also be a three-part TV series for American cable channel TLC. It will air on TrueVisions on Oct 14.
What's the idea behind the campaign?
We have observed a change in consumers' behaviour. We see the growing trend of consumers and visitors who are looking for authentic experiences. In the past, people looked for destinations. But because of information technology, especially social media, we know that when people visit attraction spots, they will come back and share their experiences, feelings and emotions with their friends.
This is an obvious trend, especially from people who go to Hong Kong. Hong Kong is very compact, and we are so accessible because of a good transportation network, so people tend to get more on a single trip. That's why we want visitors to get much more when they visit Hong Kong.
What do you expect from the campaign?
We hope that more visitors will come to know and have authentic experiences in Hong Kong, and at the end of their trips they will be sort of like ambassadors to Hong Kong. We really want to get on the level of visitors' emotions — what they see and what they feel. We'd like to see them share their experiences and their opinions with their friends. And we hope those experiences can be spread out among their friends as well.
What is a recommended local delicacy that visitors must try?
I'd like to recommend street food such curry fish balls and shu mai dim sum. In a traditional Chinese restaurant, the shu mai is made with prawn and pork, but shu mai street food is made of fish. For sweets, try a local Hong Kong waffle on the street.
How many Thai visitors visit Hong Kong each year?
Last year, there were about 530,000 Thai visitors. During the first seven months of the year, we had about 300,000 Thai visitors. We definitely hope to see more visitors from Thailand, but we do not have a target number. The more, the better.
When people visit Hong Kong, I'm sure they notice shark fins displayed on many food shops. Does it mean locals love eating shark fins?
I'm not too sure. I don't have a statistic of how many people eat shark fins or things like that. I think the Hong Kong government also put effort into a "no shark fin" policy when the it hosts its events.
In my understanding, it is a bit different. When I speak to many tourists or my friends, the first food they think of when they think of Hong Kong is roasted goose [and not shark fins]. It's one of the most popular dishes in Hong Kong.
When is the high season in Hong Kong?
For the Thai visitors, we follow holiday peak periods such as in April and during school breaks.
In general, if we talk about Mice (Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions), the two peak seasons are in April and October, as there are a lot of exhibitions and conventions during the months.
As the cold season is approaching, do you have any concern about any outbreaks?
As of Sept 4, there are no suspected or confirmed Ebola cases in Hong Kong. We have one of the most sophisticated healthcare systems in the world. Our relevant health authorities also do their measure to make sure we are ready for it.
