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Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Visitor characteristics

  • In 2017 28% of visits from Hong Kong were made by British passport holders and 44% by Hong Kong nationals
  • Just above half holidays visitors (excluding British expats) were making a repeat trip to Britain in 2015 (within 10 years, 52%)
  • Departing staying holiday visitors from Hong Kong (excluding British expats) are less likely to recommend Britain for a holiday or a short trip: only 59%  of them are 'extremely' likely to recommend Britain against 71% for the all-market average

Popular activities

Dining in a restaurant

Visited Parks/ Gardens

Went Shopping

Global context

Measure2017
International tourism expenditure (US$bn)25.5
Global rank for international tourism expenditure11
Number of outbound visits (m)36.4
Number of outbound visits excl. China and Macao (m)7.2
Most visited destinationChina
Most visited destination (excl. China and Macao)Japan
Most visited destination in Western EuropeUnited Kingdom

Key demographic and economic data

Measure2018
Population (m)7.4
GDP per capita PPP (US$)56,573
Annual average GDP growth over past decade (%)2.8
Annual average GDP growth over the past year (%)3.6

Resources

Hong Kong market profile (PDF, 1.3 MB) Published June 2018

visitbritain_marketprofile_hongkong_june2018.pdf

Hong Kong market snapshot

hongkong_snapshot_oct2018.pdf

Explore Hong Kong consumers’ perceptions of Britain. Published in 2012

hong_kong_perceptions_of_britain_research.pdf

Exchange rate

1 GBP = 9.7909 HKD

As of 11 December 2018

Retrieved from the Bank of England

Inbound visits to Britain

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Seasonality (Share of visits)

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Regional spread (Share of visits)

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Visits % total Nights % total Visits % total Nights % total
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Journey purpose (Share of visits)

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What Hong Kong citizens think about Britain

  • When asked how well they feel they know some destinations, overseas travellers from Hong Kong are more likely to say that they feel they know ‘a great deal’ or ‘a fair amount’ about Britain as a destination, than they do about France, Italy, the US, or Australia
    Hong Kong respondents also tend to rate Britain highest for its rich, interesting history and heritage, followed by the fact that it has much to explore outside of its capital/main city
    Its rich sporting offer and its mixed offer of old and new are also well scored by Hong Kongers
    Britain is seen as more ‘cosmopolitan’ than leading competitor destinations, but is outperformed in terms of associations with attributes such as ‘colourful’, ‘vibrant’ and ‘fun’
    Competitor destinations are more highly associated with offering ‘value’ than is Britain, but the latter is ranked second amond destinations they would like to visit, if cost was no issue

Caring for visitors

  • The family is the most important part of life; this cultural value of togetherness impacts on travel behaviour
  • Visitors from Hong Kong are more likely than average to use a credit card while in Britain
  • Those in Hong Kong who are superstitious may find some traditional accommodation, for example country house hotels, and even four-poster beds ‘spooky’
  • Hong Kong citizens love food and are adventurous in tasting local cuisine and produce

The leisure & travel trade

  • There are over 1,400 tour operators and travel agencies in Hong Kong, but around 20 dominate the market
  • Details of updated product and packages should be sent to the Hong Kong trade by December
  • Using English as the language for meetings and correspondence is normally not a problem

Access to Britain from Hong Kong

Measure2017
Weekly aircraft departures65
Weekly seat capacity20,260
Airports with direct routes in Hong Kong1
Airports with direct routes in Britain3
  • Visitors to Britain who are Hong Kong citizens do not need a visa to visit Britain
  • Over 9-in-10 visitors depart Britain by air in 2017
  • Cathay Pacific flies about 65% of all seats available on direct, non-stopping flights between Hong Kong and London*
  • Those departing Britain for Hong Kong by air, pay £78 in Air Passenger Duty in economy class

*2017 data

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