In a three-way tie-up, GTA is working with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to bring top travel agents to the destination to discover Hong Kong's new "hidden gems". The fam trip ran from 9th to 13th June.
HONG KONG – GTA, Kuoni’s global travel distribution arm, will embark on an exciting new phase of its Hong Kong Strategic Partnership Program (SPP) this week, with the hosting of a major familiarization and filming trip in “The Pearl of The Orient”.
In a unique three-way tie-up, GTA is working with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) to bring top travel agents to the destination to discover Hong Kong’s new “hidden gems”. The fam trip ran from 9th to 13th June.
Anthony Lau, Executive Director of the HKTB, commented: “We are very pleased to partner with GTA and bring in trade partners from nine markets in Asia Pacific. Hong Kong is a truly unique city, featuring vibrant living culture, diverse culinary options and many more for all visitors with different needs.”
“We hope this trip can offer our overseas partners an in-depth understanding of the city, during which they will experience the exciting international dragonboat races and different facets of Hong Kong through the new tour products developed under the HKTB’s ‘Explore Hong Kong Tours’ platform.”
As part of this trip, GTA has partnered with TV channel tvN, which will be on location in Hong Kong to film the first part of its brand new travel series, MUST (My Unexpected Sweet Trip).
The new lifestyle travel show will see leading Swiss-born South Korean actress and anchor, Clara Lee, meet with a local Hong Kong celebrity to discover Hong Kong’s most romantic attractions and activities. MUST will then continue shooting in other Asian cities and the new travel series will be aired on tvN across the Asia Pacific region immediately after post-production in August.
Travel agents attending the fam trip will be offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Ms Lee, along with the surprise Hong Kong celebrity, for a filming session aboard the iconic Duk Ling junk boat while sailing across Victoria Harbour.
“GTA’s SPP Hong Kong is focused on providing agents with a wealth of information about Hong Kong, and giving them more confidence to sell the destination to their clients,” explained Cyndi Ng, GTA’s Head of Market Development & Strategic Partnerships.
“Our strategic partnership with tvN is an exciting and unique way of spreading the SPP message even further, providing agents – and tvN’s wider Asia Pacific audience – with deeper insights into this fantastic destination,” Ms Ng added.
“We are grateful for the immense support GTA and the Hong Kong Tourism Board have given us, in particular GTA, without whom filming MUST – our first tvN original 4K production in Asia – would not have been such smooth sailing,” said Mr Samey Lee, CEO of CJ E&M Hong Kong.
“tvN is striving to expand its coverage in Asia Pacific after our recent rebranding, and with GTA’s strong network within the region, we are confident that the synergies generated are mutually beneficial. The shooting of MUST Hong Kong is sure to be a great success and we are looking forward to the upcoming stops!”
In partnership with HKTB, tvN and selected SPP hotel partners such as EAST Hong Kong and The Peninsula Hong Kong, plus attraction partner Ngong Ping 360, the fam trip has gathered GTA’s top-selling travel agency clients for an educational journey to Hong Kong’s many and varied attractions.
As well as helping to film tvN’s new show, GTA will also create its own destination video in Hong Kong, which it will then showcase to travel agents in GTA Workshops across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.
To welcome the travel agents, GTA and HKTB hosted a welcome dinner on June 9 at Hong Kong’s Michelin-starred Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant, which will also be attended by Clara Lee.
During the five-day/four-night fam trip, agents will also be able to enjoy an unforgettable helicopter ride over Hong Kong from The Peninsula, a journey to a fisherman’s village in Tai O via the Ngong Ping 360 cable car, and celebrate the Hong Kong International Dragonboat Festival courtesy of HKTB.
Photo caption: Photo taken at welcome dinner hosted by GTA & HKTB at Ah Yat Harbour View Restaurant. In the photo are GTA, HKTB, tvN, MUST presenter Clara Lee (back row, 7th from left) and travel agents.
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