The Guild of Travel and Tourism, a UK-based membership organisation for companies and individuals in the travel industry, will officially open its first international chapter in Hong Kong in March. In Six Questions, International Business Development Director Steven Ballantyne explains why the Guild chose to open its first international chapter in Hong Kong.
What is The Guild of Travel and Tourism, and what does it do?
Founded in 1994, The Guild is an international trade association for travel industry professionals, focused on travel, tourism, hospitality and transport industries. Any individual or company can join The Guild, regardless of industry sector, gender or status, and business suppliers to the industry are especially welcome to join.
The Guild offers members a range of business, travel and personal benefits and services, including business-networking events and seminars.
Why is the Guild opening an office in Hong Kong?
Launching an international chapter is a natural step forward. This will ensure that The Guild continues to grow, not only its member base but also the opportunities we provide for networking and business promotion for members. In addition, this will help us maintain our position as the leading member-focused travel and tourism trade association.
We recognised that, due to the recent global economic situation, this was the ideal time to implement our international development plans and open doors for our members to promote their businesses and services to a wider audience.
Promotion and building solid working relationships in Asia was specified as key in the majority of our members' own development plans. This was one of the main aspects in choosing Hong Kong as the location for our first international chapter.
What are Hong Kong’s advantages as a regional centre for travel and tourism?
From a business perspective, Hong Kong is widely acknowledged as a central city through which to access the consistently growing markets in Asia. An integral aspect to the future of the travel and tourism industry is the Asian market, which is becoming increasingly strong. Hong Kong, with its extensive business facilities, global accessibility and can-do attitude, is a natural choice when drawing together the many service providers the travel industry relies upon.
What prospects does The Guild see for travel and tourism among the mainland Chinese?
We recognise that the growing number of Chinese nationals travelling for business and pleasure is likely to have a major impact on our industry. The Guild is planning to hold a number of network and business promotion events this year at key Chinese mainland cities. Our aim is to maximise the opportunity this provides to Guild members to promote their businesses and international tourism locations, through working with partners and local companies.
How does The Guild reconcile promoting travel with widespread concern about its environment impact?
We believe that the industry will adapt to meet the increasing desires of the consumer in this area and that environmentally correct tourism will play a very important part in our industry’s future. Our role is to continue to support and encourage our members to adapt their businesses to address this issue.
What is your best advice for would-be travellers?
My grandmother told me years ago that I should always travel with a pair of cufflinks. Her reasoning being that I would always be prepared for the opportunities that travel can bring, such as a dinner at the embassy or to meet someone important in some distant destination. Over the years, I have realised, that whether it’s cufflinks or a spare pair of shorts, being prepared to enjoy and experience those opportunities is, perhaps, the most important part of travelling.
