Google partners local players to launch Google Maps HK

Hong Kong - Google has partnered with a number of local players such as the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), OpenRice.com and Hong Kong Tourism Board to launch a new bilingual search platform that enables Hong Kong consumers to find local geographic information.

Dr Lee-Feng Chien, engineering director of R&D for Google Taiwan and Hong Kong said, "This new platform enables local users, businesses, partners and third-party developers to contribute and share their photos and videos about Hong Kong to further enhance the quality of Google Maps, making it the most content-rich and relevant virtual map of Hong Kong."

Google Maps (http://maps.google.com.hk) is an open and collaborative platform that allows marketers to utilise certain features like the maps API to enhance customer experience, making websites sticky and creating new business opportunities.

The local business centre feature is also another cost-effective tool particularly for small- to medium-sized companies, for which advertising may be too expensive, to add their business listings on Google Maps Hong Kong for free.  

According to Bradford Lee, business development manager, e-commerce for HKTDC, the council has revamped its website this month and repositioned it as a marketplace connecting suppliers and buyers. The suppliers' page on HKTDC website features an interactive Google map that displays over 100,000 Hong Kong companies' location, along with their logos and websites.

Lee said with their suppliers' location displayed in the embedded Google Maps on www.hktdc.com's supplier information page, buyers can easily plan their sourcing trip to visit suppliers in Hong Kong ahead of time.

He added,"Buyers can now locate suppliers directly through Google Maps, greatly enhancing the traffic to www.hktdc.com, as well as creating more awareness to potential visitors who have not been to our website before."