Tourism policies of Hong Kong &

SingaporeBased on the article: Wong/Bauer/Wong (2008): A

critical comparison of tourism policies of Hong King and Singapore – An avenue to mutual learning.

International Journal of Tourism Research, 10 (3), 193-206, in combination with my findings and experiences

during the Study Trip 2012.

Summary of the articleO The article compares the tourism

policies of Hong Kong and Singapore. Using the method of qualitative interviews, the authors examine whether or not the two government can learn from each other in order to improve their tourism policies and thus their tourism performances and competitivenesses.

Similarities of the two city states in terms of tourismO 1. The character of the destination: British colonies which offer

„East meets West“ cultural experiences, shopping, dining and sightseeing as major tourism activities

O 2. The degree of development: number of tourist arrivals, international modern airports, efficient transportation networks, world-class hotels and modern convention and exhibition facilites

O 3. The general strategic approach to development: tourism contributing to at least 5% of the respective GDPs, both governments have initiated a proactive approach to develop and support the industry.

O A retrospective analysis of the tourism policies and the governements‘ visions in developing tourism and their policies, comparing:

„Expanding the Horizons“ (Hong Kong) vs. „Tourism 21“ (Singapore)

Similarities in terms of tourism

O Aim to establish the city states as Asia’s central destination for leisure and business visitors.

O In both states tourism has been used as an economic and a socio political tool:O Singapore: racial diversity in the 1960s ->

tourism as a tool to show that many cultures lived harmoniously together on an island

O Hong Kong: strenghtened the cultural identity of the local population during the time when the British had to hand over ong Kong back to China in 1997.

Differences related to the vision statement

O Singapore’s vision statement is broader than the one of Hong Kong’s which is „relatively vague and general“:

O Singapore - Tourism 21:„To be a leading economic development agency in tourism, known for partnership, innovation and excellence.“ (https://app.stb.gov.sg/asp/abo/abo.asp)

O Hong Kong – Expanding the horizons:"Our Vision is an ambitious one: To establish and promote Hong Kong as Asia's premier international city, a world-class destination for leisure and business visitors.“ (http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200006/08/0608199.htm)

Differences related to the business environment

O Singapore has advantages when it comes to „political effectiveness“ and „policy towards private enterprise“, quality of workforce and GDP growth.

O Singapore Tourism Board -> lot of efforts in attracting tourism-related companies -> stimulation of the development of new attractions

 Hong KongO Market-oriented

approachO Tourism product

development follows the demand-supply mechanism

Business Environment supportive in both states but:

Differences related to public private cooperation

SingaporeO „Strategic

pragmatism“: Government intervenes to correct market failures.

O Proactive and anticipative

Hong KongO Market-led

approach: private sector as the main mover of the economy

O Positive changes since 1997 (e.g. Disneyland)

O Still relatively reactive

Results of the guided interviews

Hong Kong can learn from Singapore:O The proactive support that

the governement offers to the tourism industry

O Singapore’s visionary leadership

O Eagerness-to-learn attitudeO Singapore’s experience in being

a hub in the South East Asian region

O Better understanding of South East Asian outbound market

O Hong Kong governement too dependent on the private sector

O Liberalisation of its aviation policies

Singapore can learn from Hong Kong:O Raising entrepreneurship

in the countryO Singapore too afraid of

making mistakes, should „let loose“ and cut back its stakes in the economy, learn to be more market driven

O Hong Kong’s experience in dealing with the Chinese outbound market

-> marketing

When visiting both destinations...

...I experiencedO Differences between the natures of

both destinations are bigger than assumed:O Singapore is much more „Western“

than Hong Kong where the Chinese influence is very distinctive

O E.g. Knowledge of English (English & Chinese are official languages in HKG and SIN)

Further differences in terms of the nature of the destinationO Hong Kong: very dependent on the

Chinese market, Chinese are the main target group (Markus Schuckert, 2012)

O Singapore‘s top markets: Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Australia, India

O SIN: 4.6 mio. habitants <->HKG: 7 mio. habitants

O higher price level-> remarkable impact on the tourist experience

Differences related to the stage of development

Environmental Awareness (Garden City) in Singapore vs.

Smog problems in Hong Kong

Differences related to the stage of development

Service Orientation in SIN vs.

less committment to service quality in HKG

Singapore‘s proactiveness in providing a supportive &

favourable business environement......can be seen in

the Marina Bay Sands. STB is active encouraging foreign enterprises to establish their companies in Singapore to be able to offer innovative tourist experiences

Hong Kong‘s market-oriented approach of tourism product ...

...can be noticed when comparing Macau and Sentosa Island, the respective „playgrounds“-> copy of Las Vegas vs. innovative product development on Sentosa Island

Singapore‘s visionary leadership

O Personalization of one‘s trip: Your Singapore http://www.yoursingapore.com/content/traveller/en/browse/aboutsingapore/singapore-brand-story.html)

-> responding to the „rise of me“ and the desire of individual fulfilmentO Strategy to increase the

concentration of experiences

-> adheres to the „new tourist“ who is seeking the maximum of experiences and optimisation of time

Singapore‘s better understanding of South East Asian outbound market...

...became very visible to me during the Night Safari: The guide of the Creatures of the Night Show welcoming guests in perfect and fluent English, Malay, Indian and Chinese

Hong Kong‘s understanding of private entrepreneurship......became visible at the Icon Hotel

O Timeless loungeO Free mini-barO Gen Y

employeesO UniformsO Indoor GardenO Innovative

design

Singapore‘s fear of losing control...

...is noticeable as there are many restricitons to respect in Singapore.

(Heard oppinions that Singapore is „boring“)

Singapore‘s service orientation as well as the ability to create a central hub in

South East Asia......results in Singapore Airlines being one of the most renowned airlines worldwide http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards_2012/yclass.htm)

BUT: O Length of stay in HKG:

3.6 days <-> SIN: 2 days ) (Markus Schuckert, 2012)

-> classical hub but might be also explained by the relatively high general price level

Hong Kong‘s ability to attract the Chinese marketO China is the biggest

visitor source market for Hong Kong

O China‘s market share in Hong Kong: 67%

O Chinese are the biggest spenders in Hong Kong (shopping one of the main activities)

(Markus Schuckert, 2012)

Personal view: Singapore‘s advantages

O High quality of experiences (Night Safari, Marina Bay Sands, Sentosa Island: Beaches and Attractions)

O Service Orientation (e.g. handling of our group at the airport)

O Level of English of the population (e.g. Taxis)

O Cleaniness and Food

Personal view: Hong Kong‘s advantages

O Both destinations claim to be best in shopping, but Singapore cannot compete with Hong Kong‘s traditional markets, the multiplex malls and boutiques

O Transportation system: efficient and cheap, e.g. Disneyland Express, Speed Boat to Macau

O Whereas in Singapore everything seems to be planned in advance, it is possible to immerse into Hong Kong‘s culture

O Disneyland & Ocean Park

Personal conclusionO Singapore and Hong Kong offer both

overwhelming experiencesO Even though both offer a similar tourism product,

there are several differences which give both their uniqueness, their own charme

O Singapore‘s organised and well planned tourism experience vs. a hustling and surprising immersion into a unique Chinese-Western culture

O Generally agreeing to the findings of the article, even though it lacks to describe the emotional part of the respective tourism experiences which is an important part for me