Hong Kong “the next big thing” in the world of travel

Hopes are high as the Hong Kong Tourism Board said they are anticipating 34 million tourists will visit Hong Kong by the end of 2010. A prominent reason is the new age of technology, development and attractions of Hong Kong that are not only a crowd puller but also comparatively much cheaper than other destinations of its stature. For instance, flights to Hong Kong are a major means of getter much cheaper onward flights to Australia, New Zealand or China. The country also provides road routes and an easy passage to the port city of China, Shenzhen.

However, in September Hong Kong Tourism board had recorded 26 million visitors from worldwide destinations. This huge numbers of travellers and flights to Hong Kong are the key factor that convinced the board to revise their predictions.  At current, the board has revised their forecast to 31 million visitors for the year 2010.

In this context, James Lu, executive director of the Hong Kong Hotels Association, DPA stated:

I guess the annual figure may reach 34 million at the end of this year, as the final quarter is traditionally the busiest season for the travel industry,

Another important factor contributing to this high rise in the number of travellers to Hong Kong is said to be the steady elevation of the national economy. Jason Shum, a committee member of the Hong Kong Association of Travel Agents, said

The number of visitors had been “very strong” in recent months because of the improved economy.

He further said:

“We see strong growth of visitors coming from Southeast Asia, such as Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia because the appreciation of their currencies boosted their purchasing power when visiting Hong Kong,”

This also means the thick clouds of recession are finally gone and the clear sunshine has made its way to boost tourism in Hong Kong and be a bigger contributor towards annual revenue of the country. The rise in tourism is also indicative that there will be more air routes, new flights to Hong Kong and may also trigger promotional of cheap flights to the region.