| Author: | Yung, Man-chong Susanna |
| Title: | Community's perceptions of the Hong Kong Tourist Association's "Be a good host" Courtesy Campaign |
| Degree: | M.Sc. |
| Year: | 2000 |
| Subject: | Tourism -- China -- Hong Kong Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Multi-disciplinary Studies Department of Hotel and Tourism Management |
| Pages: | 129 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | Hong Kong is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia. However, after the change of Sovereignty in July 1997 and the regional economic recession, Hong Kong experienced a severe dropped in visitor arrivals as well as tourism receipts. Besides marketing Hong Kong in the external markets to boost the tourism industry, residents of the host community also help form a destination's image. It is important that tourist organizations such as the Hong Kong Tourist Association (HKTA) should focus on internal marketing in the local community to encourage the general public to extend courtesy towards tourists and to make them feel welcome. One of the components of the HKTA's "Be a Good Host" Courtesy Campaign, which was launched in March 1998, is media promotion. It aimed at raising people's general level of awareness about tourism and its contribution to the local economy, as well as encouraging the general public to be good hosts. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to assess community's perceptions of the Hong Kong Tourist Association's "Be a Good Host" Courtesy Campaign, with focus on its "Announcements of Public Interest" (API), which are a kind of unpaid "advertisements" arranged by the government. Findings on respondents' level of awareness, attitude, perceptions and reactions to the API were presented and comparisons on results between trade and non-trade respondents were also provided. This research is a cross-sectional study that adopts a quantitative approach. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey distributed to 857 residents of Hong Kong, including trade and non trade respondents. Study findings indicated that the API received a high level of awareness on TV, especially those presented by celebrities such as Chow Yun Fat and Jackie Chan. A higher level of awareness of the campaign as well as its API among the trade respondents was found when compared with non-trade respondents. However, it was discovered that people's perceptions towards the API were not very positive as most of the mean scores were just slightly above the mid-point of the rating scale. Results also indicated that all the stated objectives of the API aimed at macro matters for the general public and travel trade people (e.g. their important role in promoting tourism, the vital role of tourism industry in the development of Hong Kong's economy), had lower mean scores than objectives concerning micro matters (e.g. the importance of extending courtesy and showing sincerity towards tourists). In addition, trade respondents had more positive perceptions than non-trade respondents because of their direct involvement in the tourism industry. The survey also examined reactions of the respondents to the "Be a Good Host" Courtesy Campaign's API. Results suggested that the message was clearly relayed through the announcements. However, although respondents were aware of the importance of being friendly and courteous, they were not reacting to it by changing their behavior. Nevertheless, it was found that trade respondents had more favorable reactions to the campaign announcements on awareness and behavioral aspects than non-trade respondents. Respondents' attitudes about the tourism industry in Hong Kong were examined and findings from the survey indicated most of the respondents felt that the tourism industry was very important to the development of Hong Kong's economy. Respondents believed that tourism should be actively encouraged, that they would support tourism as having a vital role in developing Hong Kong' s economy. They also supported the activities of the Hong Kong Tourist Association in promoting tourism to Hong Kong. Among trade and non-trade respondents, a much higher mean score was found among trade respondents than non-trade respondents on the importance of the tourism industry in the development of Hong Kong's economy. Results obtained from this study can provide insights for the management of various organizations in choosing an effective mode of promotion media for awareness campaigns or tourism marketing campaigns. Findings from this study have provided important information on residents' perceptions and reactions to the development of tourism industry in Hong Kong. Moreover, analyzing perceptions of different segments can help tourism marketers develop and formulate marketing strategies to meet needs of each specific segment. Once residents' attitudes are clearly identified and understood, administrators are likely to be in a position to anticipate and motivate them to act accordingly, and help promote tourism in Hong Kong. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
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| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b15555240.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 3.62 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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