Universal Federation of Travel Agents Association (UFTAA)

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  To act as a negotiating body for various branches of the tourism and travel industries on behalf of travel agents;
  
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  To give professional and technical advice and assistance to travel agencies on the world economy and tourism;
  
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  To improve the prestige and public recognition of travel agents; and
  
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  To provide training courses to travel agency personnel.
  

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) was founded in April 1990. It provides a global forum for members who are chief executives from all industry sectors, including accommodation, catering, entertainment, recreation, transportation and other travel-related services.

The WTTC is led by the executive committee and the day-to-day operations are carried out by the President and a small staff based in London, Brussels, and Washington D.C. The goals of the council are:

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  to work with governments to make tourism strategic economic development and employment as priority
  
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  to move toward open and competitive markets
  
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  to pursue sustainable development
  
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  to eliminate barriers for growth and to realize the full economic potential of tourism and its job generating ability.
  

The WTTC also conduct extensive research to determine the sheer market size of travel and tourism, and its contribution to world, regional, and national economies.

ICAO established in 1994, is an organization of governments joined to promote civil aviation on a worldwide scale. It serves as a means to secure international cooperation in the highest possible degree of uniformity in regulations and standards, procedures and organization regarding civil aviation matters.

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  Foster the implementation of ICAO Safety Standards and Recommended Practices to the greatest extent possible worldwide.
  
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  Develop and adopt new or amended standards, recommended practices, and associated documents in a timely manner to meet changes.
  

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  Strengthen the legal framework by developing new international air law that is required to govern the international civil aviation, and to encourage the ratification of existing infrastructure.
  
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  Ensure the currency, coordination, and implementation of Regional Air Navigation Plans and provide the framework for the efficient implementation of new air navigation systems.
  
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  Respond on a timely basis to major challenges to the safe and efficient development and operation of civil aviation.
  
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  Ensure that guidance and information on the economic regulation of international air transport is current and effective.
  
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  Assist in the mobilization of human, technical, and financial resources for civil aviation facilities and services.
  
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  Ensure the greatest possible efficiency and effectiveness in the operations of the organization.
  

Reference: URL: http://www.icao.org

The International Ecotourism Society was founded in 1990 to foster a true sense of synergy between outdoor travel entrepreneurs, researchers and conservationists. The organization assists those committed professionals around the world who are working to make ecotourism a genuine tool for conservation and sustainable development.

The Society provides internship, training and education programmes on a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from marine ecotourism management to ecotourism business operations. The Society also has a exhaustive list of publications on ecotourism.
Reference: URL: http://www.ecotourism.org
11. Local Tourism

Visitor Profile

In the earlier chapter, we are aware of the importance of tourism statistics because it helps the tourism stakeholders to better understand their customers – visitors.

According to the tourism statistics compiled by HKTB on visitor profile, the main purpose of visit for overnight visitor to Hong Kong is on vacation (See Table 10). While the visitors are in Hong Kong, they spend their money on accommodation, shopping, tours, meals outside hotels, entertainment and others. Among all these expenditures, overnight visitors spend most of their money around 56.7% on shopping (See Table 11). Same-day In-town visitor has a similar spending pattern, shopping tops their total expenditures (See Table 12). Based on the statistics, man-made attractions in particular shopping is the main pulling factor that influences visitors come to Hong Kong.

Table 13 revealed the top ten main items bought by both overnight and same-day visitors.

Top Ten Main Items Bought by Visitors in Hong Kong 2007 (%)
Ready-made Wear		47
Snacks/Confectioneries		26.3
Cosmetics/Skin-care Products		23.1
Shoes/ Other Footwear		19.3
Handbag/Wallets/Belts		15
Souvenirs/Handicrafts		14.1
Toy, Electronic Game Machine, and Game Software		7.4
Personal Care		7.4
Perfume		7.1
Medicine/ Chinese Herbs		6.6

Apart from shopping, Hong Kong also offers many fabulous attractions for visitors to explore. Whether you are a vacationer, business traveller, nature lover or cultural explorer, Hong Kong can cater for your every desire. According to HKTB, the top 10 places visited by visitors in 2007 are (See Table 14):

Other than the top ten places visited by tourists, Hong Kong has many different types of tourism attractions for visitors to explore and enjoy. You'll be amazed by the diverse contrasts and close proximity of stunning cityscapes and soaring mountains, heritage sites and extensive green countryside.

There are many unique characteristics of the 18 districts in Hong Kong including sights, shopping, dining and entertainment options in each district. Some of the options are actually popular tourist attractions. The Home Affairs Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides an exhausted list of information on these unique characteristics of the 18 districts for locals and visitors to explore and experience (referring to Hong Kong Fun in 18 Districts, http://www.gohk.gov.hk/eng/welcome/index.html ).

In addition, Hong Kong Tourism Board provides an updated list of local attractions for both the travel trade and tourists on its Internet homepage - http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/attractions/sightseeing-guide.html .

Exercise

Compile a list of tourist attractions for visitors to explore while they are in Hong Kong. The objective of completing the list is to gain a better understanding of the different types of local tourist attractions and the different forms of tourism. Referring to the “Overview of Attractions” on page XX and forms of tourism, and apply the concepts with the information provide by the above links to complete the list.

'Hong Kong Fun in 18 Districts' - Home Affairs Department of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.