Industry leader tells Wang Yuke that trip planning on mobile devices gives tourists more control over their trips and can help avoid congestion, delays

It is time for travelers to jump on the self-help bandwagon and use advanced technologies to create their own tour guides, a tourism industry leader believes.

Innovative technologies can enhance travelers' experiences, Pansy Ho Chiu-king, founder of the Global Tourism Economy Forum (GTEF), told an annual tourism event in Macao which attracted thousands of ministerial-level officials in tourism as well as industry leaders, experts and scholars from across the globe.

Ho analyzed industry trends during an exclusive interview with China Daily.

Technologies which are often considered disruptive could transform the way people travel for the better, said Ho, who is also group executive chairman and managing director of Shun Tak Holdings, a leading conglomerate in Hong Kong with core businesses in transport, property, hospitality and investment.

"It allows us to better prepare for the whole trip logistically and mentally. On the mobile devices, we can book the hotels and tickets, settle the fees and use the search engine to do our homework about the destinations."

Better knowledge about the destination country or city, as well as advance planning for transport, saves travelers from the unwanted culture shock and unexpected anguish that traffic congestion and delays can bring, she said.

Technology-integrated mobile travel tools let people navigate in a foreign environment more easily. "This can significantly improve the quality of travel, and therefore optimize the pleasure of travel," Ho said.

Ho also emphasized the essential role the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area plays in providing innovative tourism products and bringing together different industry sectors to spur development of the travel industry.

Tourism was presented as a stand-alone sector in the past, but in fact it benefits from partnership synergy across various industries, Ho said.

The Bay Area, home to headquarters of 17 Fortune Global 500 companies, is well suited and privileged for providing a chance for cross-sector collaboration as well as cutting-edge technologies designed to maximize travelers' delight, remarked Ho. The Bay Area has already devised many tourism products, showing potential market value, she said.

"People today are exposed to so many options for traveling that they become more demanding. Innovations have to keep pace with tourists' needs, instead of a mere sub-product like before."

Travel and tourism is a "peace" industry, Ho noted, where cultural exchange and understanding foster friendships beyond geographical and cultural boundaries. It is not a typical commercial trade where buyers want to pay less and sellers try to obtain more, she said.

Rather, tourism takes place on a parity basis, Ho added. "Because when you come (to a country), you are not only spenders contributing to the local economy. The traveling experience offers a face-to-face interface on which you interact with the service providers from the host countries, whether they are locals arranging your whole trip or personnel explaining to you in museums."

Cross-cultural interaction

Comprehension of each other's cultures would come naturally through face-to-face communication. "As a tourist, we are the ambassador for China, explaining to them our tradition and culture," she said. In other words, "we take in their culture and, in the meantime, give out our own culture". Tourists are on both the receiving end and giving end.

Better understanding of each other's culture drives mutual respect and maximizes inclusion. Ho made a visit to Europe along with representatives from the GTEF from April 21 to 29 to deepen dialogue with European Union partner countries on tourism collaboration. During the trip, she visited the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, appreciating visitors' good manners and discipline at the packed spot.

"Tourists cannot fully enjoy themselves without mutual respect which is part of the lessons run through the trips," Ho said.

Speaking of the GTEF, she said the forum strived to act as a platform for tourism-industry stakeholders to discover partnership opportunities through communication and help them initiate collaboration with other participants. She recognized the forum as a sophisticated version of typical trade fairs which are about self-introduction and pamphlet distribution. "The forum is far from simply about presenting business proposals or selling products. What we set to achieve is to nurture a lasting relationship between the participating parties," Ho said.

"I sell you a proposal or product at the forum, but you may not need it for the moment. You build a contact with the person. After a few years when you find yourself ready, you approach the person and say 'let's work together'."

Contact the writer at jenny@chinadailyhk.com

(HK Edition 05/14/2018 page5)