Lessons from Hong Kong

Abstract

The example of the Hong Kong Tourism Board demonstrates both the effective approaches for marketing a destination and the pitfalls of straying too far from the core marketing function. In particular, the experience of the Hong Kong Tourism Board is contrasted with that of tourism boards in cities in mainland China. The mainland boards’ energies are sidetracked by such functions as ensuring that hotels’ star ratings are correct, which absorb resources that should be used for promotion.