HONG KONG and LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16,
2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2020 Hong Kong Wine & Dine
Festival officially concluded yesterday. It was the first time the
Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) had adopted an "online + offline"
format for the event, ensuring that the public could take part
without having to worry about the Covid-19 outbreak. During the
five consecutive weeks it was held, the Festival had a full table
of gastronomic experiences for local and international
audiences.
Online Masterclasses Viewed Nearly 850,000 Times
The
Online Masterclasses – a new "ingredient" of this year's Hong Kong
Wine & Dine Festival – became a go-to program at home for many
people during the Covid-19 outbreak. A total of 34 classes were
held over three weekends, generating almost 850,000 views. About
30% of the viewers came from the short- and long-haul markets, such
as India, Taiwan, the UK, France, the U.S. and Canada.
The most popular Online Masterclasses included the "Ah Yat Fried
Rice" cooking demonstration by Forum Restaurant's Executive Chef
Adam Wong; the craft beer and
artisan cheese pairing class by Young Master Brewery and Monsieur
CHATTÉ; and "Art of Blending: When Johnnie Walker Meets Coffee" by
world-class mixologist Antonio Lai
and professional coffee barista Timmy
Lam.
Though all of the live Online Masterclasses have ended, full
videos are still available to view on the event website
https://winedinefestival.discoverhongkong.com.
Takeaway/Delivery Menus and Dining Offers Met with Positive
Response
This year's Hong Kong Wine & Dine Festival
continued to bring opportunities for wine merchants and the dining
sector to promote their products and businesses. For example, the
HKTB collaborated with top hotels and popular restaurants to
present 30 menus for delivery or takeaway, many of which were
exclusive to the Festival, including a special afternoon tea set
designed by Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. The hotel's Director of
Marketing Communications, Ms. Eva
Kwok said, "The limited-time-only afternoon tea set was
selling better than we expected. Though Hong Kong people are eating out less these
days, they are still drawn by exquisite food."
The HKTB partnered with dining platforms and associations to
roll out offers at over 500 dining outlets to stimulate the local
economy, resulting in more than 10,000 reservation bookings at a
time when Covid-19 was under control. "Through the HKTB's
promotional platform, many of our participating restaurants
achieved more reservations than expected and reached new customer
segments," said Mr. Ryan So, Director of Business Development
Greater Bay Area and Hong Kong of
Dining City, one of the Festival's partner platforms.
Continued Promotion of Hong
Kong in Visitor Markets
The HKTB conducted promotions
in the visitor source markets with a focus on enhancing
Hong Kong's image as a culinary
capital. It arranged a series of online wine-and-dine activities
for nearly 100 journalists from the long- and short-haul markets,
such as previews of the Online Masterclasses, a virtual dining
culture guided tour, and interviews and interaction with
well-known Hong Kong chefs and
wine critics. Even though the international media could not be in
Hong Kong physically, they were
still able to learn about the city's food culture and get the
latest news about its dining scene.
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SOURCE Hong Kong Tourism Board