ALKHOBAR, 18 October 2003 — The $10 million HarbourFest kicked off in Hong Kong yesterday, continuing through Nov. 9. The festival will feature concerts by some of the biggest names in the music industry globally including Carlos Santana, Jose Carreras, Westlife, Neil Young and Prince. The HarbourFest is the latest attempt by the Hong Kong government to promote Hong Kong as a “City Of Life” and stomp out the memory of the death and misery that the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic brought last Spring.
There has been some criticism of the festival due to the fact that it is largely funded with public monies. Many in Hong Kong do not think that the government should be spending such funds when tourism and business traffic to the city has rebounded to almost pre-SARS levels. Hotels are no longer offering large discounts as they were during the summer months. Tourism numbers have been enhanced by the huge influx of Chinese visitors to Hong Kong thanks to a relaxation of visa policies.
Long-haul flights through and to Hong Kong are showing increasing passenger numbers. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific Airways is in an excellent position to capitalize on the upswing in business. The airline has refurbished its business and first-class services, in-flight entertainment system and airport premium lounges to appeal to the long-haul corporate road warrior who purchases premium priced tickets.
James Evans, Cathay Pacific country manager for Saudi Arabia, discussed the airline’s performance in Saudi Arabia, especially in light of the difficult circumstances that faced both the Far East and the Middle East in 2003. Asian airlines were greatly affected by SARS and Evans agreed that it was fair to say that Cathay Pacific was affected the most.
“The airline industry is extremely competitive and the downward pressure on prices and the expectations of the traveling public on an industry with increasingly high fixed costs, means that operating profitably is becoming more and more challenging. Cathay Pacific is an independent company with no government to fall back on and ask for subsidies when facing a crisis,” Evans observed.
“In order to attract passengers back to Asia and back to traveling via Asia, airlines used pricing as their principal method. Cathay Pacific was not alone in developing attractive packages in conjunction with travel partners to encourage travelers to fly to and via Asia. However, as business conditions improve and confidence returns, I expect most Asian airlines and airlines that operate to the Far East, to return to normal practices,” he said.
Unlike some other airlines that cut service to Saudi Arabia in the midst of the Iraq War crisis, Evans felt that it was important to point out that Cathay Pacific maintained safety and security as top priorities while still providing the travel services that the Kingdom’s business community has come to rely upon.
Since Cathay Pacific resumed services to Riyadh in October 2001, he said, it had operated an uninterrupted twice-weekly service.
“Our flights were routed via Dubai rather than Bahrain for the months after the war in Iraq commenced and we returned to our regular pattern of Hong Kong — Bahrain — Riyadh — Hong Kong at the beginning of August. In the future Cathay Pacific would like to provide an even more convenient schedule for our passengers and to enhance the connections between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong,” Evans said.
Evans commented that Cathay Pacific remains focused on efforts to rebuild Hong Kong’s tourism industry and to enhance its position as Asia’s leading aviation hub. From Saudi Arabia the airline sells a large number of Hong Kong packages for those wanting to vacation in Hong Kong and for those wanting somewhere to visit while traveling to destinations further afield.
This past summer Cathay Pacific’s numbers showed that Hong Kong attracted many visitors from the Kingdom and Malaysia held its appeal as a popular holiday spot as well.
Evans said that it is not unusual for people to take in the sights and sounds of Hong Kong and then relax in Malaysia, Thailand or Singapore. More people from the Kingdom are also interested in traveling to mainland China. Hong Kong, being the gateway to China, provides excellent connections to mainland destinations and at the end of 2003 Cathay Pacific will resume services to Beijing, having been awarded licenses to do so earlier this year.
“Hong Kong is a very welcoming city and it is “Saudi friendly,” said Evans.
“Saudi nationals do not need a visa to visit Hong Kong and in Hong Kong there are a great many establishments that cater to Muslim visitors. What’s more, Cathay Pacific offers halal meals on our flights. I would like to tell people a little about Hong Kong as a destination,” he said.
He continued: “The image that tends to be conjured up in people’s minds when Hong Kong is mentioned, is that of the spectacular skyline.What tend not be appreciated as much as they deserve are the fabulous country parks that make up so much of the Special Administrative Region.
So, anyone visiting Hong Kong can experience the hustle and bustle of Asia’s World City as well as the beauty and tranquility that is within easy reach, wherever you are in Hong Kong.”
