Hotel Online Special Report 
Department of Hotel and Tourism Management of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Releases Major Tourism Survey Findings The 1st Annual State of Hong Kong Tourism Conference Hong Kong as a World Class Destination Oct 23, Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel October 3, 2000 – Visitors were generally satisfied with the current environmental conditions in Hong Kong, and the quality of air and the environment in Hong Kong was not a major concern to the majority of visitors.
These findings were recently released by researchers at the Department of Hotel and Tourism Management of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), who have completed a major survey on international tourists’ perceptions of the Hong Kong environment and their behaviour in the territory.
The researchers interviewed at random a total of 2,068 visitors from Australia, Chinese mainland, Singapore, Taiwan, the UK, and the US at the Departure Hall of the Hong Kong International Airport from August to December 1999.
Other topics covered in the large-scale survey included tipping behaviour, tourist satisfaction, tourist-host contact, cultural tourism and cross-border tourism.
Results from the survey, led by Dr Bob McKercher, Associate Professor of PolyU’s Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, can be summarised as follows:
Environmental quality: Compared with non-Asian visitors (from the US, the UK and Australia), higher percentages of Asian visitors (from Taiwan, the Chinese mainland and Singapore) felt that Hong Kong’s environment was worse than other cities in Asia and such impressions do have certain impact on their intention to revisit. Conversely, the non-Asian visitors were more likely to think that Hong Kong’s environmental quality was either better than or comparable to other Asian cities. Their revisit intentions were less affected by their impressions of the environment. Air quality: There was a significant difference between Asian and non-Asian travellers on choice of travel destination and environmental values. The majority of the visitors did not consider Hong Kong’s air quality when choosing Hong Kong as a travel destination. However, Asian visitors seemed to be more conscious of Hong Kong’s air quality than Western visitors when considering visiting Hong Kong. More than 70 per cent of the visitors surveyed found Hong Kong’s air quality acceptable, with Asian visitors having a higher level of acceptability than the non-Asian visitors. Cultural tourism: Western visitors participated more frequently in cultural tourism activities and at a deeper level than Asian visitors. Cross-border tourism: In spite of nearly a decade-long effort to develop the Pearl River Delta as a single tourist destination, tourists were likely to take day trip forays into either Macau or Guangdong Province, but rarely both. There is little evidence of extended touring in the Pearl River Delta. Tourist-host contact: Most respondents perceived their contact with local residents positively. Tipping behaviour: Even though there was a slight adaptation to local tipping habits, respondents who tipped more often at home did the same while travelling abroad. Americans tended to tip more often and in relation to service, whereas Britons and Australians tipped less frequently. Mainland visitors tipped the least often. Some tourists felt obliged to leave a tip. Mandatory tipping of tour guides stands out as one quarter of Taiwanese and half the Singaporeans felt pressured to leave a gratuity for their tour guides. Seven to 10 per cent of all other nationalities felt the same way towards tour guide tipping. It is interesting to note that none of the mainland visitors surveyed considered that they had been forced to tip. Other service areas where tourists felt pressured include restaurant servers and hotel porters. Tourist satisfaction: Tourists in general were satisfied with the professional skills, customer relationship and communication skills of the local tour guides. Some tourists, however, complained about the requirement to tip the tour guides. The study also showed that Western tourists were more satisfied than tourists from Asian source markets.
The project, funded by the University’s Faculty of Business and Information Systems, was conducted with the co-operation of the Hong Kong Tourist Association and the Airport Authority of Hong Kong.
The results of the studies will be further discussed with industry practitioners at the First State of Hong Kong Tourism Conference to be hosted by PolyU on 23 October 2000. With the theme “Hong Kong As a World Class Destination”, the conference will review issues affecting the competitive situation of Hong Kong’s tourism industry.
Oct 23, 2000 Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel
The competitive environment facing Hong Kong’s tourism industry has changed fundamentally in the last three years. The Chinese mainland is expected to be the engine that will drive Hong Kong’s tourism for the next 20 years. The Asian economic crisis, although short-lived, showed how vulnerable Hong Kong is to externalities and forced most businesses to alter their practices. Hong Kong’s traditional competitors are becoming more aggressive and innovative in their pursuit of tourism. Technological innovations will change how tourism is developed and promoted.
The Department of Hotel and Tourism Management (HTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is pleased to present the first State of Hong Kong Tourism Conference. As an independent organisation, HTM is in an ideal position to represent the voices of the industry and to respond to the needs of the entire tourism sector.
This conference will serve as a forum for the tourism industry to meet, discuss issues of common interest and present a unified set of recommendations to government.
The conference format, consisting of a series of workshops and discussion sessions, is designed to enable all participants to have their say about the future of Hong Kong tourism.
Who should attend
- Industry practitioners and senior management in the tourism, hotel, transport, travel and catering sectors.
- Representatives from trade associations, consultants and investors in the hotel and tourism industry.
- Officials and administrators of national and regional tourism boards and associations.
- Researchers and educators in areas of hospitality and tourism management.
- Others interested in exchanging ideas to enhance Hong Kong’s position as a world class tourism destination.
Environmental quality: Compared with non-Asian visitors (from the US, the UK and Australia), higher percentages of Asian visitors (from Taiwan, the Chinese mainland and Singapore) felt that Hong Kong’s environment was worse than other cities in Asia and such impressions do have certain impact on their intention to revisit. Conversely, the non-Asian visitors were more likely to think that Hong Kong’s environmental quality was either better than or comparable to other Asian cities. Their revisit intentions were less affected by their impressions of the environment. Air quality: There was a significant difference between Asian and non-Asian travellers on choice of travel destination and environmental values. The majority of the visitors did not consider Hong Kong’s air quality when choosing Hong Kong as a travel destination. However, Asian visitors seemed to be more conscious of Hong Kong’s air quality than Western visitors when considering visiting Hong Kong. More than 70 per cent of the visitors surveyed found Hong Kong’s air quality acceptable, with Asian visitors having a higher level of acceptability than the non-Asian visitors. Cultural tourism: Western visitors participated more frequently in cultural tourism activities and at a deeper level than Asian visitors. Cross-border tourism: In spite of nearly a decade-long effort to develop the Pearl River Delta as a single tourist destination, tourists were likely to take day trip forays into either Macau or Guangdong Province, but rarely both. There is little evidence of extended touring in the Pearl River Delta. Tourist-host contact: Most respondents perceived their contact with local residents positively. Tipping behaviour: Even though there was a slight adaptation to local tipping habits, respondents who tipped more often at home did the same while travelling abroad. Americans tended to tip more often and in relation to service, whereas Britons and Australians tipped less frequently. Mainland visitors tipped the least often. Some tourists felt obliged to leave a tip. Mandatory tipping of tour guides stands out as one quarter of Taiwanese and half the Singaporeans felt pressured to leave a gratuity for their tour guides. Seven to 10 per cent of all other nationalities felt the same way towards tour guide tipping. It is interesting to note that none of the mainland visitors surveyed considered that they had been forced to tip. Other service areas where tourists felt pressured include restaurant servers and hotel porters. Tourist satisfaction: Tourists in general were satisfied with the professional skills, customer relationship and communication skills of the local tour guides. Some tourists, however, complained about the requirement to tip the tour guides. The study also showed that Western tourists were more satisfied than tourists from Asian source markets. Oct 23, 2000 Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel
The competitive environment facing Hong Kong’s tourism industry has changed fundamentally in the last three years. The Chinese mainland is expected to be the engine that will drive Hong Kong’s tourism for the next 20 years. The Asian economic crisis, although short-lived, showed how vulnerable Hong Kong is to externalities and forced most businesses to alter their practices. Hong Kong’s traditional competitors are becoming more aggressive and innovative in their pursuit of tourism. Technological innovations will change how tourism is developed and promoted.
The Department of Hotel and Tourism Management (HTM) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is pleased to present the first State of Hong Kong Tourism Conference. As an independent organisation, HTM is in an ideal position to represent the voices of the industry and to respond to the needs of the entire tourism sector.
This conference will serve as a forum for the tourism industry to meet, discuss issues of common interest and present a unified set of recommendations to government.
The conference format, consisting of a series of workshops and discussion sessions, is designed to enable all participants to have their say about the future of Hong Kong tourism.
Who should attend
- Industry practitioners and senior management in the tourism, hotel, transport, travel and catering sectors.
- Representatives from trade associations, consultants and investors in the hotel and tourism industry.
- Officials and administrators of national and regional tourism boards and associations.
- Researchers and educators in areas of hospitality and tourism management.
- Others interested in exchanging ideas to enhance Hong Kong’s position as a world class tourism destination.
Contact: Dr Bob McKercher Associate Professor Department of Hotel & Tourism Management Tel: (852) 2766 6553 Email: [email protected] First State of Hong Kong Tourism Conference http://www.polyu.edu.hk/~htm/ Also See Hong Kong Visitor Arrivals Up 11.2% for 9 Months 1999 / Nov 1999