Greater Bay Area Courts Malaysian Travellers
For Malaysians eyeing a short-haul getaway, three of southern China's best-known destinations have just made the case for seeing them together rather than one at a time. The tourism boards of Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao came to Kuala Lumpur to present the Greater Bay Area as a single trip that strings the trio into one itinerary.
Three destinations, one trip
The Greater Bay Area links Hong Kong and Macao with cities across Guangdong, and the pitch to Malaysian travellers is that you no longer have to choose between them. Malaysia was picked as this year's host market for the Greater Bay Area tourism promotion, which puts the campaign's spotlight squarely on travellers here.
It is an idea that suits the way many of us already travel: pack variety into a single trip without long flights between each stop. Hong Kong's harbour and food scene, Macao's heritage streets and Guangdong's cities sit close enough to move between in one holiday. For a taste of what Hong Kong alone has been putting on, see our look at Hong Kong's summer line-up of pandas, Pixar and football giants.
AirAsia and seven agencies on board
To make the multi-destination trip easier to book, the Hong Kong Tourism Board has tied up with AirAsia and seven travel agencies on packages and promotions built around the Greater Bay Area. The detail that matters for travellers is the bundling: flights and itineraries put together so the three destinations arrive as one plan rather than three separate ones you have to assemble yourself.
AirAsia's involvement fits its recent habit of adding routes and running seat sales across the region, as with its MOVE platform adding airlines and new places to fly. For the full official rundown, the Hong Kong Tourism Board's travel site is the place to start.
Worth watching if China is on your list
Nothing here forces a decision today, and specifics like package prices and travel dates will come from the agencies involved. But if a multi-city China trip has sat on your someday list, a coordinated Greater Bay Area push, with an airline and agencies lined up behind it, is a reason to start looking sooner rather than later.
