With so many new tourism attractions and products offered in Hong Kong during the 2006 Discover Hong Kong Year, retail travel agents may be hard pressed to keep abreast of every new development in this constantly evolving city. To address this concern, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is launching a new online initiative designed to sharpen the competitive edge of its travel trade partners and boost their sales by providing them with the knowledge they need to best serve their customers.

This new initiative is offered by The Travel Institute and the USA version of the Hong Kong Specialist program has already been launched. Existing Hong Kong Specialists can register for free until October 31.

The Hong Kong Specialist online program is an educational and marketing tool specifically tailored to the needs of retail travel agents around the world. The program is designed to maximize the reach of the 2006 Discover Hong Kong Year campaign throughout the global travel trade, and provide an effective platform to materialize further travel bookings.

“The online Hong Kong Specialist program makes it convenient for our travel agent partners to grow their Hong Kong business confidently and profitably. Our US-specific Hong Kong Specialist benefits and value-added marketing tools enable retail agents to gain a thorough, specialized knowledge of our destination,” Ms. Clara Chong, HKTB’s Executive Director, stated.