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Opened in 2006, Ngong Ping 360, a cable car attraction on Hong Kong’s Lantau Island, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. For almost half that time, they’ve used GetYourGuide to expand their brand beyond their domestic market significantly.
Angela Sue, manager of sales and distribution, joined Ngong Ping 360 a year before the cable car’s official opening, so she’s seen it all. The idea for Ngong Ping 360 dates back to 1998, when the Hong Kong Government asked the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) to study the feasibility of linking Tung Chung with Ngong Ping.
The study found that a cable car was viable. That would not only offer 360-degree views of the Lantau North Country Park but also take guests to attractions such as the 34-meter-tall Tian Tan Buddha (the Big Buddha) and Po Lin Monastery. Now, Ngong Ping 360 is recognized as one of Hong Kong’s major tourism milestones, alongside the local Disneyland.
“Our mission was to be the must-see attraction in Hong Kong, but it does take time to build the brand so people know about it,” Angela says.
When it first started, Ngong Ping 360 had about 800,000 visitors annually. Compare that to 2024 when it welcomed up to 1.4 million visitors. A key driver of that impressive growth has been attracting more travelers from outside Hong Kong and China. These international visitors account for over 60% of their clientele, and an array of long-haul visitors come through GetYourGuide.
“GetYourGuide has blossomed so beautifully. Honestly, we are just the best of partners,” Angela says. “It's like a marriage made in heaven, mutually beneficial. I don't think we can divorce.”
Here, Angela discusses how GetYourGuide has been pivotal in tapping into long-haul markets and why she loves the OTA’s more personal approach to collaboration.
What was the inspiration for partnering with OTAs?
It was wholeheartedly my decision. I used to be in the airline business, and I saw how everything was becoming more tech-savvy. You could see how the rest of the world would slowly catch up, especially in the travel and tourism industry.
Around 2012 or 2013, there weren't many companies selling experiences as small-ticket items. I deliberately went to Sydney to meet with Tripadvisor and pitch Ngong Ping 360 as a service provider for their platform. They were the first in the Asia-Pacific region to do that.
It grew from there, and then I thought, “Hold on, they're only good for the Americas and maybe touching into a little bit of the UK, so who's doing Europe?” That's how GetYourGuide came about. We started with GetYourGuide in 2017.
What do you find so innovative about GetYourGuide compared to other OTAs?
As a supplier, I say, “I’ve got this, this, and this,” and the GetYourGuide team is willing to take it all on and help me. That’s what I love, and that’s what a partnership should be.
Simply giving a supplier a platform to input product information isn’t always enough. There can be formatting gaps, onboarding challenges, and ongoing administration and maintenance to manage. Without understanding the product and the thinking behind it, you can also end up with a mismatch between what the supplier offers and what the customer expects.
It’s one thing to input information, but it’s another to understand why we are giving you this product, why it will work for your customers, and how to set it up so customers like it.
Can you share a specific memory of how GetYourGuide helped you through a challenge?
We have to close our cable car for maintenance every year. Sometimes it happens in March, sometimes in May, whenever. During those dates, we might be closed for two weeks, 10 days, or one week. We still want to be able to provide a service to all of these guests who have come to Hong Kong and want to see the Buddha, the monastery, and the country park.
For that time, we wanted to do a coach-only tour. I passed the idea to GetYourGuide, and they immediately went, "Sure, Angela, we can do that." Then it went up, and people booked it. That's what I love about GetYourGuide. They're just willing to help us.
How has your customer base changed?
The beautiful part about GetYourGuide is they're reaching all parts of Europe — Latvia and Poland, to, I don't know, the Falkland Islands. There’s no way I could reach those countries. I don't think anybody, any attraction, could do that without GetYourGuide.
Even when I travel overseas, like to Greece, I’ll see the company and go, "Wow, it’s GetYourGuide!" Being a GetYourGuide fan, I also book with them. I went to Switzerland with a couple of friends and reserved a day tour from Zurich to Grindelwald. Of course, I booked the cable car option to First Mountain.
What advice would you give someone who has just started with GetYourGuide?
First of all, just contact somebody there and say, "Hey, this is what I've got. I don't see that particular service or product available in GetYourGuide, and I think it’s very unique.” Work together. That's it, really.
The beauty of GetYourGuide is that they want to provide unique experiences for their customers. I’ve seen on the platform that you can do chopstick painting, basket weaving, and much more. These are all unique experiences that enhance a customer’s travels. The customer might otherwise have to search or read many different websites to get all the information that GetYourGuide shows in a simple platform.
What are the major challenges your company is facing?
The challenge for us is mainly the weather, including lightning, typhoons, heavy rain, and sudden squally storms. We do offer refunds, but it's more about operations than anything else.
It’s been really easy navigating this with GetYourGuide, because we can contact the customer easily. That's really important. Even if, for example, someone in my ticketing office says, “This GetYourGuide customer has only enjoyed half the experience. Can they come tomorrow?” I say, “Sure, why not?” If they've got the time and they're willing to come again, why not? It doesn't happen every day, so it hasn't been difficult at all.
What are Ngong Ping 360's growth plans for the future?
To see more long-haul international guests coming, not only to Hong Kong but to Lantau. A lot of long-haul markets are business travelers only in Hong Kong for two or three nights, or maybe only one night.
I've noticed GetYourGuide has been pushing this recently, like, "Hey, don't go to Hong Kong just for work, but at least stay one night and soak in a little bit of that city, get a grasp of it." That's what I'd like to see.
Key Takeaways
- Growing a global audience: GetYourGuide is Ngong Ping 360’s number-one partner for long-haul clientele, bringing in the majority of its customers from outside Hong Kong and China.
- Developing new products: Ngong Ping 360 works with GetYourGuide to develop new products. Together, they’ve developed four to five of their current listings, the most important being the private tours.
- Inspiring future bookings: Ngong Ping 360 created a 30-minute behind-the-scenes video of their cable car attraction to share with customers during the pandemic. This helped inspire travel after restrictions were lifted.
- Retaining customers during closures: Ngong Ping 360 continues to attract guests with alternative products when it needs to close for routine annual maintenance.
- Gaining international standing: Ngong Ping 360 sees GetYourGuide as an important partner in achieving their goal to make their attraction, and Hong Kong in general, a must-see.
