Text and images / Hong Kong ITE
Hong Kong ranked as the world’s 10th largest overseas tourism spending market in 2016. In 2017, total travel expenditure rose by 5.8% to USD 25.5 billion, and growth is expected to continue.
In 2018, the total number of outbound trips made by Hong Kong residents reached 92.21 million, averaging 12.4 trips per person per year. Revenue from Hong Kong’s outbound tour groups recorded an 8.1% growth. An online survey conducted last November polled 1,000 Hong Kong people. The results showed that excluding rent or mortgage payments, the majority of respondents’ salaries were spent on travel, with 23% going towards trips.
During the 2019 Chinese New Year period, the prices of short-haul outbound group tours from Hong Kong remained similar to last year, with a slight 5% increase in sign-ups. Long-haul group tours saw a 5% to 10% rise in prices, while passenger volume increased by an average of 10%. According to booking statistics from the Hong Kong homestay platform Airbnb, the most popular travel destination for Hong Kong residents during this year’s Spring Festival was Japan (with nearly 2.21 million visits last year), followed by Australia (with nearly 310,000 visits last year).
Independent travel dominates Hong Kong’s outbound market. The Hong Kong International Travel Expo (ITE) 2018 attracted over 90,000 visitors over its two public days, with 84% of outbound travellers preferring independent travel (FIT) or private group tours. 42% had a university degree or higher, and another 34% held a college diploma, reflecting a highly educated audience that may also have relatively higher incomes. Exhibitors found it easy to reach them, as over 60% of respondents preferred to book directly with suppliers online, and another 19% were interested in joining “local” tours after arriving at their destinations. The ITE 2018 questionnaire collected around 4,000 responses and found that industry attendees were most interested in educational travel (28%) and overseas weddings (21%), while the general public showed interest in ecotourism (35%) and sports tourism (23%).
Official pavilions at ITE also promote themed travel. For example, last year the Hong Kong pavilion highlighted cruises, Macau promoted food tourism, Switzerland promoted sports and eco-tourism, and various regions in Japan showcased their unique features and events—such as different local varieties of ramen and hot springs—to give visitors deeper insights into the differences among prefectures. With a high level of international participation, ITE covers both leisure and incentive travel. Of the approximately 700 exhibitors, over 85% were from outside Hong Kong. The first two professional days attracted more than 12,000 buyers and professional attendees (registration required), 73% of whom were from Hong Kong, over 21% from mainland China—including 6,600 from travel agencies and 2,600 from the incentive travel and corporate sectors.
The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Greater Bay Area) encompasses Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong including Guangzhou and Shenzhen, with a total population of 68 million and a combined GDP of USD 1.69 trillion. ITE 2018 saw around 2,000 buyers and professional attendees from these nine Guangdong cities. The newly built bridge spanning the Pearl River Estuary, along with the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link, has further shortened travel time between Hong Kong and mainland China. ITE expects to attract even more visitors from the Greater Bay Area.
Each year, ITE hosts about 35 to 40 official pavilions/booths, with around 70% being regular exhibitors. The two largest pavilions are China and Japan, each with about 90 booths. Other participants include Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Thailand, Nepal, Cambodia, and others from Asia, as well as non-Asian regions such as Egypt, Switzerland, and Turkey. New destinations participating this year—both official pavilions and independent companies—include Cyprus, Ecuador, Istanbul, Moscow, Madagascar, and Spain, with more expected. Among the over 50 participating countries and regions at ITE, about half are from outside Asia.
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