High-flying ambitions: Cable car Ngong Ping 360 to diversify offering corporate training and guided tours amid tourism downturn
Eager to capitalise on the island's commercial projects and boost visitor figures, Ngong Ping 360 eyes private tours and other offerings
The operator of the cable car from Tung Chung to Ngong Ping is seeking to diversify its business beyond that of a sightseeing attraction amid a downturn in tourism and opportunities occasioned by development projects on and near Lantau Island.
Two tours - one of Tung Chung and another, by road, to the Ngong Ping highland - are to be introduced during an 18-day period of cable car maintenance that starts today. They will become a regular alternative activity whenever maintenance closes the cable cars for at least a week.
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"We want people to know Ngong Ping 360 is not only about cable car rides," said managing director Stella Kwan Mun-yee.
Two weeks ago the alliance submitted a proposal to the government detailing what it would like to see in Lantau's future.
Noting the transformations could potentially bring more business travellers to the island, Kwan said the alliance had suggested ways for the government to develop the artificial island off Lantau.
Kwan did not see a need to add new sightseeing attractions, but she thought Lantau could be better promoted as a destination. "Lantau itself is an attraction," she said. "There are a lot of hiking routes to explore and a lot of tours to explore the heritage here."
Hong Kong saw an 8.4 per cent drop in tourist arrivals in July on the heels of the mainland's economic slowdown, a strong Hong Kong dollar and more regional competition for travellers.
Kwan said Ngong Ping 360 witnessed a single-digit percentage fall in its number of cable car passengers in the first half of the year.
The company seeks to expand its corporate clientele by promoting its existing business meeting venues as well as its corporate team-building, training and outdoor adventure activities. Corporate customers accounted for under 10 per cent of its revenue. It hoped to increase the percentage, but tourism would remain the core business, Kwan said.
