Festivals and Holidays
In the run-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese National Day, Hong Kong travellers wanting to skip town for a few days are showing a preference for nearby travel destinations. Some tips to save money on air tickets …
Click here for an interactive TripAdvisor guide to Osaka.
The Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese National Day fall on the same week in 2015. As a result, many people in Hong Kong are taking advantage of the 2 holidays to travel. But which travel destinations are most popular?
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on Sunday 27 September this year. Since many people stay up quite late that evening, the following day – rather than the day itself – is customarily a holiday in Hong Kong.
The same is true in China, Macau, and Taiwan.
Because of the close proximity this year of the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese National Day, which falls just 3 days later on 1 October, many people in Hong Kong will combine the 2 holidays with their own personal leave so that they can travel.
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Top 10 Travel Search Destinations
These are the top 10 travel destinations Hong Kong people search for between 24 December and 4 October 2014
Preferred travel destinations – with the exception of London, England – are all nearby, a study by global travel search firm SkyScanner reveals.
Japan has long been popular with Hong Kong travellers, but it was traditionally thought of as an expensive place to travel.
With the currently weak Japanese yen and the relatively strong Hong Kong dollar, Japan has suddenly become very affordable for Hong Kong travellers.
So it's not surprising that 2 Japanese cities – Osaka and Tokyo – are among the 3 most popular travel destinations for Hong Kong people wanting to travel abroad this holiday season.
Another Japanese travel destination – the tropical island of Okinawa – is in 9th place.
Stuck right in between Osaka and Tokyo is Taipei, Taiwan, another perennial favourite with Hong Kong travellers. Not only is language less of an issue, Taipei is also much closer, and air tickets are cheaper, as well.
And then there's that yummy street food and those wonderful night markets!
The recent bombings in Bangkok, Thailand, have apparently not scared off Hong Kong travellers. The Thai capital comes in 5th place.
Seoul, which has become increasingly popular with Hong Kong travellers in recent years, comes in 7th, and Singapore comes in 8th. Bali, Indonesia, rounds out the top 10 list.
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How to Save Money on Air Tickets
Travellers wanting to save money on air tickets should try to avoid travelling on weekends. Hong Kong travellers planning to fly to Tokyo, for example, can save 17% if they can depart 2 or 3 days early.
Hong Kong people planning to visit Osaka and Taipei will save even more – up to 61% on flights to Osaka and a whopping 70% on flights to Taipei!
“Hong Kong travellers are known for their price-consciousness when it comes to planning trips," says Fang Fang, Marketing Manager at Skyscanner Hong Kong and Taiwan.
"The price trends among the top 3 hot destinations highlight the importance of making the most of public holidays by departing earlier."
Talking Points
Do you have any tips for saving money on air tickets?
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