THE HONG Kong Public Museums portal (www.museums.gov.hk) has failed to gain enough recognition among the local travel trade since it was first launched in February.
The portal serves to promote cultural exhibitions and activities held across 14 museums, two heritage centres, one film archive and one visual arts centre managed by the Hong Kong government’s Leisure & Cultural Services Department (LCSD).
Via Vai Travel director, Sef Lam, said: “Maybe (LCSD) thinks that travel (consultants) are not interested to bring tour groups to museums. Mostly, I update myself on exhibitions through the (individual) museums’ newsletters.”
Grand Holiday (Int’l) managing director, Albert Cheung, called for greater cooperation between LCSD and the local travel trade.
“(The portal) is a good product, but inbound travellers may not be interested in visiting museums, as the majority of them have tight schedules and focus more on shopping,” he said.
So far, LCSD has teamed up with local theme parks to promote its Museum Pass, and has built up partnerships with the Hong Kong Tourism Board and shopping malls to gain additional marketing avenues for its museums and exhibitions.
A full launch of the portal will take place later this year, in tandem with a publicity campaign to drive awareness among locals and overseas visitors.
Apart from the portal, an Enchanting Museums booklet has also been introduced for tourists, and is available at HKTB’s visitor centres and various hotels.
