Holiday-makers in Hong Kong have zeroed in on nearby Asian destinations for the unusually long Year-of-the-Horse break. Travel agencies told the South China Morning Post on February 13 that packages to Vietnam, Japan and South Korea are close to sold out, while high-speed-rail seats to mainland cities such as Kunming and Yunnan have tripled compared with last year.
This year’s calendar allows workers to turn a two-day annual-leave request into nine consecutive days off, super-charging outbound demand. Sunflower Travel reports that bookings for eight-night tours surged 60 percent week-on-week after the Labour Department confirmed the official holiday schedule.
For travellers who still need to verify entry requirements or secure the right paperwork, VisaHQ can handle online visa applications for dozens of destinations directly from Hong Kong, helping to avoid last-minute surprises before departure—visit https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/ for details.
![Vietnam and mainland China top Lunar New Year getaway list for Hongkongers as 9-day break fuels demand]()
Vietnam’s cheap street food and visa-on-arrival policy for HKSAR passports make it the biggest winner. Carriers have added temporary flights from Hong Kong to Da Nang and Nha Trang, and hotel rates in Hoi An are up 25 percent. Meanwhile, South Korean ski resorts are marketing “last snow” packages, and Japanese regional airports are bracing for charter arrivals from budget airlines.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board expects outbound travel to exceed 2019 levels for the first time, but it also anticipates a healthy 1.4 million inbound mainland visitors, keeping hotels in Kowloon busy. Industry analysts say the dual flow will test airport ground-handling capacity, and corporates should build extra margin into duty-travel schedules.
Longer term, the pattern reinforces the importance of visa-lite regimes and convenient air links for sustaining Hong Kong’s role as a mobility hub. Negotiations are under way with Thailand to relax visa-run rules for multi-entry business travellers—another potential boon for frequent flyers.
This year’s calendar allows workers to turn a two-day annual-leave request into nine consecutive days off, super-charging outbound demand. Sunflower Travel reports that bookings for eight-night tours surged 60 percent week-on-week after the Labour Department confirmed the official holiday schedule.
For travellers who still need to verify entry requirements or secure the right paperwork, VisaHQ can handle online visa applications for dozens of destinations directly from Hong Kong, helping to avoid last-minute surprises before departure—visit https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/ for details.
Vietnam’s cheap street food and visa-on-arrival policy for HKSAR passports make it the biggest winner. Carriers have added temporary flights from Hong Kong to Da Nang and Nha Trang, and hotel rates in Hoi An are up 25 percent. Meanwhile, South Korean ski resorts are marketing “last snow” packages, and Japanese regional airports are bracing for charter arrivals from budget airlines.
The Hong Kong Tourism Board expects outbound travel to exceed 2019 levels for the first time, but it also anticipates a healthy 1.4 million inbound mainland visitors, keeping hotels in Kowloon busy. Industry analysts say the dual flow will test airport ground-handling capacity, and corporates should build extra margin into duty-travel schedules.
Longer term, the pattern reinforces the importance of visa-lite regimes and convenient air links for sustaining Hong Kong’s role as a mobility hub. Negotiations are under way with Thailand to relax visa-run rules for multi-entry business travellers—another potential boon for frequent flyers.
