The Travel Industry Council (TIC) recently unveiled a new initiative to boost tourism by offering in-depth tours for visitors at shopping malls in Hong Kong during major events. This collaboration between the TIC, hotel industry, and retail sector aims to attract mainland tourists through 14 different itineraries provided by six travel agencies on the China Mobile “MyLink” app.
The tours will include unique experiences such as a bar-hopping tour in Tsim Sha Tsui during the Wine and Dine festival and a tour exploring Hong Kong’s urban legends. Fanny Yeung, the TIC’s executive director, highlighted that the goal of this programme is to capitalize on the city’s mega events and encourage tourists to explore shopping malls.
Yeung emphasized the importance of including the retail sector in these tours to attract individual travelers who typically do not visit shopping malls. By integrating the retail aspect into the tour packages, the TIC hopes to engage this group of travelers and boost the retail sector in Hong Kong.
Annie Yau Tse, chairwoman of the Retail Management Association, revealed that the tours will cover five prominent shopping malls, including IFC mall in Central, K11 Musea and THE ONE in Tsim Sha Tsui, Langham Place in Mong Kok, and the Temple Mall in Wong Tai Sin. Participants in these tours can look forward to receiving gifts and discounts as part of the experience.
Tse further mentioned that with the shift in focus from shopping to tourism experiences post-pandemic, the current capacity to accommodate individual travelers is sufficient. Therefore, the new initiative to bring group tourists to shopping malls aligns well with the city’s capacity and aims to enhance the overall tourism experience in Hong Kong.
Overall, this new strategy to attract visitors to shopping malls during mega events through curated tours is set to revitalize the tourism industry in Hong Kong and provide tourists with a unique and engaging experience beyond traditional sightseeing. With a focus on retail and experiential tourism, this initiative aims to showcase the diverse offerings of Hong Kong’s shopping malls while catering to the evolving preferences of tourists in the post-pandemic era.