Prof. Rob Law
“Complementing Each City’s Strengths to Launch Greater Bay Area Tourism Brand Cooperation”
Recently, an article co-authored by Prof. Rob Law, UMDF Chair Professor of Smart Tourism and Deputy Director of APAEM at the University of Macau, was published in Hong Kong’s Wen Wei Po. Titled “Complementing Each City’s Strengths to Launch Greater Bay Area Tourism Brand Cooperation,” the article explores how a study supported by the Public Policy Research Funding Scheme of the HKSAR Government integrates the overall tourism brand of the Greater Bay Area (GBA) with the individual brands of its cities, forming a “dual branding” framework to jointly drive regional tourism development.
The study, titled “Developing a Tourism Cluster in the Greater Bay Area: A Dual Branding Perspective,” employed big data analysis, questionnaires, and field research. It concludes that the “dual branding” strategy can help Hong Kong leverage its tourism advantages and align with existing policies. The approach is expected to diversify tourism resources by integrating natural and cultural assets to foster in-depth tourism experiences. It may also shift tourist behavior, attracting more high-value overnight visitors, and enabling Hong Kong to capitalize on its transport strengths to serve as the international gateway to the GBA. Furthermore, the strategy supports livability and sustainable development, contributing to the vision of a “Humanistic Bay Area.”
To strengthen the “multi-destination” tourism model, the study recommends introducing cross-city travel passes and annual ticket systems to simplify entry, exit, and ticketing processes. In terms of marketing, it proposes establishing a cross-city department to coordinate promotional efforts, develop a unified tourism app, and harmonize festival exhibitions and talent development initiatives.
The study affirms that cities in the Greater Bay Area already possess a solid foundation for brand collaboration. The “dual branding” strategy will help Hong Kong unlock its tourism potential, sharpen its competitive edge, achieve regional tourism prosperity, and collectively build a high-quality living environment.
Co-authors of the article include Prof. Kam Hung, Professor of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU); Prof. Shina Li, Professor of the School of Tourism Management at Sun Yat-sen University; Prof. Tony Tse, SHTM Professor of Practice at PolyU; and Ms. Selena He, Research Assistant from SHTM at PolyU.
For further details, please read the original news via this link.