Earlier this year, Richard Bangs' Adventures with Purpose program returned to public television with its latest episode: Quest for Harmony.
Travel Agent spoke with Bill Flora, U.S. Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board, who filled us in on the details. "This is our second show with Richard," he tells us. "The first one launched in 2010. That was successful for two aspects. Like a lot of his programs, it ran on most PBS affiliates and covered 90 percent of TV households."
The original program ran heavily over 18 months, and was nominated for an Emmy award. "I think the reason why we were interested in Richard is because he gets beneath the surface and gets into the immersive culture aspect."
"Quest for Harmony" kicked off in Hong Kong, highlighting the juxtaposition of the old and the new (think the newly-opened Ritz-Carlton alongside the landscapes of Lamma Island).
The journey continued to the Guangdong Provice. While there, Bangs visited Danxia Mountain, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and China's Grand Canyon. Finally, the program wrapped up in Macau, showcasing traditional customs balanced with contemporary standards.
"We wanted to develop an integrated marketing program based on the way most consumers really travel," says Flora. "That is from a multi-destination perspective."
In conjunction with the series, detailed itineraries have been rolled out to give travelers a taste of what Bangs experiences. The first itinerary is called Three Pearls and is $6,988. It is a 10-day, 11-night journey with four nights in Hong Kong, two in Macau and four in Shaoguan.
The second itinerary is called Hong Kong and Macau, which is a total of seven days, eight nights, split four days in Hong Kong and Three in Macau. It is priced from $5,684.
The third itinerary features Hong Kong and Shaoguan. It is seven nights, eight days with three in Hong Kong and four in Shaoguan. It is $4,938.
Agent commission is $500 on the first itinerary and $400 on the other two.
View Quest for Harmony at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y617anmN4mE
Visit www.discoverhongkong.com.
