Ngong Ping battles image crisis after crash

Earlier this month, an empty cable car cabin broke free and fell the equivalent of 13 storeys. It was the latest in a series of safety lapses that have plagued the tourist attraction.

The Australian company behind the attraction, Skyrail, enlisted Burson-Marsteller to advise on communications last year after passengers were left stranded at the service’s launch. The agency confirmed that it is working with Ngong Ping again on the current crisis.

It has now shut down its service and pulled all advertising in various markets, and its crisis response has been praised in some quarters.

“Their management made a good move to be proactive with the media shortly after the accident,” said GolinHarris managing director John Morgan. “Top executives refused to walk away from the mission they began.”

However, Leo Burnett Greater China chairman Eddie Booth noted that savvy PR had become “irrelevant” in the current situation.

“It‘s affecting not only the image of Hongkong as ‘Asia’s world city’, but these are also faults which could cost lives,” said Booth.

“The best way forward is to genuinely close it down for a period of time, provide a time frame and tell the world exactly what engineering rectifications are being done to make sure it meets the most stringent standards in the world, change the management and compensate the tenants.”

Morgan also agreed that Skyrail management would have done well to show more compassion after the incident. “Saying sorry goes a long way,” he said.

“If someone truly still doesn’t trust you, that’s the price you pay — you’ll never win everyone back,”

A Ngong Ping 360 spokes-person said that Skyrail “joins everyone in wanting to know why this happened.

We are focusing on thorough investigation and working with our tenants, trade partners, and staff to provide support to them.”