With the lifting of all travel restrictions and most of the social distancing measures since December last year being eradicated, Hong Kong is seeing more and more international visitors and tourists. This is coupled with the fact that the government in Hong Kong is also pushing for travel within the country by launching global campaigns and handing out free tickets. According to Expedia search data, the interest for inbound travel into Hong Kong has increased significantly, with average daily searches for inbound flights increased over 210%. Meanwhile searches for accommodation in Hong Kong grew 10%. The top 10 origin cities for inbound travellers are from Toronto, Vancouver, New York, San Francisco, London, Los Angeles, Bangkok, Singapore, Taipei and Seattle.
There is also more than 100% year-on-year growth in unique searches on Tripadvisor in December last year, January and February this year. The pages that show an overview of what Hong Kong has to offer include travel advices such as the best places to stay and visit, including dim sum restaurants suggestions, sightseeing attractions, amongst others, a check by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE saw.
Commenting on how Tripadvisor is looking to better market Hong Kong as a destination, Duncan Skehens, director, international communications at Tripadvisor told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that the company is constantly looking at how it can improve its world-class guidance products to help travellers make decisions in a world where “it’s hard to find advice you can trust”.
“On Tripadvisor, we offer genuine travel advice from impartial experts, not just on places to stay and see, but unique and immersive experiences to try, no matter your interests, budget or timeframe. Travellers can read advice about the best ways to visit and explore Hong Kong, discover travel itineraries and pro tips from local experts and even access third party guides from trusted partners such as TTG Asia and Culture Trip,” he added.
How can tourism businesses stand out amidst the frenzy of promotions?
Jeffrey Hau, co-founder and CEO of PRIZM Group, who said businesses should try something new to attract international visitors as consumer preferences have changed, “What travellers found Hong Kong attractive pre-covid might not work now, so perhaps it's time to perform research or focus groups again. If there is one thing for Hong Kong to stand out, I think our shopping scene is a big draw for tourists, especially because of the variety of retail brands and the fact that you can shop tax-free,” he added...
Published by Marketing Interactive on 13 March 2023
