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Historical Analysis of Inbound Visitation Patterns: A Comparative Study of Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR  


Abstract Category: Other Categories
Course / Degree: International Master of Business Administration Degree
Institution / University: University of Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Published in: 2004


Thesis Abstract / Summary:

The number of visitors to Hong Kong and Macau seems to be increasing throughout the last decade; however, since the handover to China these numbers seem to be fluctuating (Macau Government Tourist Office, 2003; Hong Kong Tourism Board, 2003). The change in the trend of travelling in the Asia and Pacific region and the fluctuation in the number of visitor arrivals in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) and Macau SAR, between 1995 and 2004, are not due to changes in their political structures, but rather, to uncontrollable forces.

The oscillation in figures may be due to a number of factors including: the new political and judicial systems in the territories, the Asian financial crisis between 1997 and 1998, the September 11th attacks in 2001, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2002, the Bali bombings in the same year, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, and/or the Bird Flu (H5N1 or Avian Flu) in 2004.

In order to understand the drastic fluctuation in the number of visitors’ arrivals in Hong Kong and Macau, the following study was done. The study findings are generated from mining secondary data sources and analysing significant regional events over the past ten years. The findings of this study provide a comparison between Hong Kong and Macau regarding the fluctuation of the number of visitors travelling to these territories, as well as the factors influencing these statistical figures by using meta-analysis.

The study findings suggest that long-term, negative-impact events, such as the Asian financial crisis, which has a greater impact on the economy than on the travel industry, require a longer recovery term. Events that are more correlated with the travel and tourism industry tend to have a short recovery term. For example, the September 11th attacks, SARS, Bird Flu, and the wars were rapidly recovered from with the marketing efforts implemented by combined organisations such as the Macau Government Tourist Office (MGTO), Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB), the Chinese government, and the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). Therefore, a collaboration of marketing efforts from different organisations may help an event have a more rapid recovery term. Furthermore, the study findings also suggest that the Asian financial crisis has the most influence, affecting the visitation levels in Hong Kong and Macau for two years. The next most influential factor is SARS, which caused a significant decrease in visitor arrivals during the event. However, the recovery for the latter was rapid and consumers’ confidence in travel also increased. The factors with the least impact to these study regions are the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Bali bombings. Visitors seem to be numb to these events that are happening constantly. As long as visitors know the risk in travelling to regions is small, they will travel.

Based on the analysis and an in-depth review of the literature, the factors that impact a destination may not impact another in the same way, or they may not impact another region at all. Even though Macau and Hong Kong are geographically located next to each other, there are impacts that affect the two regions differently.

Some of the key recommendations suggested in this study are as follows:
A. Promote Pearl River Delta region as a whole, to capture a longer stay from visitors.

B. Maintain continuous and updated communication with the industry and the rest of the world, so that valuable information is shared.

C. Act and respond immediately to events, as this has a lower cost than not acting and responding to events.

D. Plan ahead and continue to research topics such as travel trends, tourism crises, and ways to deal with these events, as these are key preventative measures to unpredictable events.

E. Improve safety measures in both territories to ensure the safety of the visitors (i.e.: provide vaccines when there is a flu outbreak, and security checks at customs).

F. Remove tourism impediments (i.e.: travel visa requirements).

Overall, the study poses propositions to help explain international travel flows. The strength of an event is determined by its nature, duration, and its geographical location. Events that occur closer to home tend to have a greater impact than events happening farther away from the region. Furthermore, events also influence visitors’ travelling patterns. Travelling close to home seems to be the trend in traveller’s behaviour.


Thesis Keywords/Search Tags:
Inbound Visitation Patterns, Hong Kong, Macao, travelling, flu

This Thesis Abstract may be cited as follows:
Nunes, L.N. (2004) A Historical Analysis of Inbound Visitation Patterns: A Comparative Study of Hong Kong SAR and Macau SAR. [Internet]


Submission Details: Thesis Abstract submitted by Luis de Newton Nunes from Hong Kong on 06-Dec-2004 06:55.
Abstract has been viewed 2561 times (since 7 Mar 2010).

Luis de Newton Nunes Contact Details: Email: luisnewtonnunes@gmail.com



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