Korean Hannah Kim visited Hong Kong for three days this month with her boyfriend, and they made sure to stop at Gough Street in Central for the famous beef brisket noodles.

It was her second trip to the city this year after visiting in January for four days with a group of girlfriends.

"Hong Kong has this old city vibe, like New York City, but it's much closer," said the 28-year-old who works in her family's business. "And the food is so good and diverse. We love to eat."

She said Koreans liked Hong Kong in the winter months, as the relatively mild weather let them escape the bitter cold at home.

"But in the summer, we can't stand the heat and humidity," she said.

Although mainland Chinese are the largest group of visitors to Hong Kong, accounting for four in five arrivals, they have returned at a slower pace than expected since the city reopened its borders fully in February last year.

Of the non-mainland sources, Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, the United States and Thailand emerged as the top five groups of visitors in January this year.

Checks by the Post showed that these visitors had different interests.

Mainland Chinese tourists take photo of the skyline of buildings at Tsim Sha Tsui, in Hong Kong, China, May 2, 2023. Reuters-Yonhap

Brandon Son Hyung-tae, director of Hana Tour Hong Kong, a local affiliate of one of Korea's largest travel agencies, said the city's distinct urban landscape appealed to Koreans.

"Lately, there's been a big trend in Korea called 'newtro', which mixes new and retro styles. Many Koreans long to see the vibrant neon signs and the 1990s vibe of Hong Kong movies," he said.

That explained the rising popularity of Instagram-famous sites such as the Yick Cheong Building, also known as Monster Building, in Quarry Bay and Choi Hung Estate, he said.

Younger Koreans aged 20 to 30 were particularly drawn to the city because it was nearby and airfares were affordable.

But Son said Korean women in their 40s were the fastest-growing group, because of Hong Kong's reputation as a safe destination with robust security measures and a vibrant atmosphere.

"Also, unlike some other Asian [places], it's easier to communicate in Hong Kong because many people speak English," he said.

Korea has long been a major source of visitors, with more than a million arriving annually before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

Visitors look at sunset from a hill in Hong Kong, March 22. AP-Yonhap

They were slow to return last year, with only 402,999 in total, or 28 percent of the number who came in 2018. In January, however, 100,022 Koreans visited, 84 percent of the monthly average of 2018.

Son said the availability of flights was partly to blame for the initial slow return, as many low-cost carriers struggled last year to ramp up direct services to the city, mainly due to increased costs.

Flights departing from areas outside Seoul were recovering slowly, but the industry expected the situation to improve after the third quarter this year.

Ronald Wu Keng-hou, executive director of Gray Line Tours and a Tourism Board member, said: "Korean tourists have always had a fondness for Hong Kong culture.

"We always talk about how prominent Korean television shows and singers are these days, but our culture has also been popular with them."

He said efforts by local authorities targeting Koreans, such as inviting the country's celebrities and social media influencers to Hong Kong, had proven effective.

Earlier this month, the first "HK Great Outdoors Festival" co-organized by the Tourism Board, airlines, hotels and travel websites saw around 200 Koreans come to the city for two weeks of activities such as yoga, hiking and night runs.

Korean fitness influencers on social media were invited to lead sessions, bringing their followers with them.

Tourism Board executive director Dane Cheng Ting-yat said: "A few hundred participants might not sound like a lot, but their activities can highlight and promote our wellness tourism products and attract more young visitors."

Worshippers wearing face masks visit the Wong Tai Sin temple in Hong Kong, China, Feb. 4, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap

Temples a big draw for Thais

In his policy address last October, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu highlighted the importance of encouraging local industries to develop more thematic tours to cater to the changing tastes of visitors.

Unlike traditional travel itineraries with stops at popular attractions, themed tourism creates an itinerary around individual visitors' personal interests and this has become increasingly popular, especially with young travelers.

The themes can range from wellness to music and concerts, cultural or historical tours. For Thai visitors, the city has a religious draw.

"Hong Kong's temples hold a significant appeal for Thai tourists," said Chotechuang Soorangura, vice-president of the Thai Travel Agents Association and associate managing director of travel agency Noom Sao Tours.

"Temples such as Wong Tai Sin Temple and Kwun Yum Temple are revered for their spiritual significance and historical heritage."

He said Thai visitors go to the temples to seek blessings, and engage in rituals and other activities in the sacred spaces.

"When they perceive they may have a bad year ahead, they will try to get more blessings. For 2024, people are greatly concerned about the economy," he said.

Thailand was among Hong Kong's best recovered inbound markets last year, overtaken only by the Philippines.

The city welcomed 450,372 Thai visitors last year, almost four-fifths of the total in 2018. The 51,710 who came in January exceeded the pre-pandemic monthly average six years ago.

Soorangura said Thais were visiting despite the city's relatively high cost, although some had begun exploring alternative destinations such as Taiwan or Vietnam to stretch their travel budgets.

But temples remained a draw. "While the frequency of visits may have decreased compared with pre-pandemic times, many Thais are still willing to make the trip for this specific purpose, perhaps opting for annual visits instead of more frequent ones," he said.

Visitors watch the Halloween program featuring Disney character Mickey Mouse at a parade at Hong Kong Disneyland, China, Oct. 13, 2023. Reuters-Yonhap

For Filipinos, it's the theme parks

In terms of the recovery rate, Filipino tourists took top spot last year with 763,778 visitors, representing 85 per cent of the 2018 total. The 85,578 who came in January were 115 per cent more than the monthly average in 2018.

"Eight out of 10 visitors from the Philippines will go to Disneyland," Gray Line's Wu said. "Their demand to visit the park is what really pushed our rapid recovery in the Filipino inbound market."

Although there are two other Disneyland locations in the region, in Shanghai and Tokyo, relatively more flights are on offer between the Philippines and Hong Kong.

Many Filipino visitors also came as family groups with young children.

Tourism Board statistics show that 15 percent of Filipino travelers last year came with children aged 16 or below — significantly more than the 8 percent for mainlanders, 6 percent for Thais and 4 percent for Koreans.

Filipinos were also relatively big spenders, parting with an average of HK$9,400 ($1,201) per person over 3½ days, according to official data. That was more than Singaporeans, who spent HK$8,700 over 3.8 days and Taiwanese who spent HK$7,400 over 3.2 days.

Wu said Filipinos were aware that theme parks could be expensive in any destination. They also understood they would have to spend more in the city.

Hong Kong-based online travel platform Klook said it expected the influx of Filipino travelers to continue over the Easter holidays.

It said people from the Philippines ranked first among the top five overseas users booking local activities over the period of March 28 to April 1, followed by those from Taiwan, Korea, Thailand and Singapore.

A Klook spokeswoman said visitors were more interested in unique activities, such as the world's first "World of Frozen" attraction at Hong Kong Disneyland.

She said there was significant growth in bookings, especially among travelers from the Philippines, Korea, Taiwan and Thailand after the new area, inspired by the 2013 Disney animated hit film Frozen, opened at the theme park.

Weak yen cools Japanese demand

Overall, visitors from Asia arrived in greater numbers than those from elsewhere, although the return of Japanese tourists proved slowest, with a recovery rate of only 27 percent last year against 2018.

In January, 44,235 Japanese visitors came, but that was still less than half of the 105,771 who arrived in January 2018.

This was despite flight capacity between the city and Japan recovering to 94 percent of the pre-COVID level, according to the Tourism Board's Cheng.

A big reason for the Japanese staying home was that the yen had weakened against the Hong Kong dollar, shrinking in value by about 33 percent since 2018.

Arrivals from European and North American countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the United States were also lagging, failing last year to reach half the 2018 levels.

Cheng blamed the slow recovery mainly on flight issues, especially with trans-Pacific flights.

Chinese tourists walk in front of the Chinese and Hong Kong flags, outside the Convention and Exhibition Center, in Hong Kong, China, March 13. Reuters-Yonhap

As for the massive mainland market, which only recovered by 52 percent in 2023 compared with 2018, Cheng said he was encouraged by a steady growth in visitor numbers, especially those staying overnight and those from beyond neighboring Guangdong province.

"I think it has a lot to do with the convenience of the high-speed rail link," he said. "About 180 trains arrive and depart from West Kowloon station every day ... which also explains why Tsim Sha Tsui is particularly lively and popular with visitors."

Meanwhile, the Tourism Board said a major focus this year would be to tap into the Middle Eastern market, in line with Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative to create a China-centered trade network covering more than 100 countries.

The number of visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, stood at only 16,436 last year, a 42 percent recovery from 2018.

Finance minister Paul Chan Mo-po's latest budget set aside HK$1.09 billion to boost tourism, with most going to the Tourism Board for promotional and development projects over the next three financial years.

They include revamping the daily "Symphony of Lights" display along Victoria Harbor and monthly pyrotechnic shows.

Money would also go towards rebranding Hong Kong as a cultural and mega events hub, with promotions to showcase the city's various neighborhoods and offer in-depth cultural tours.

Cheng felt it was not a bad thing that tourism was recovering gradually, giving Hongkongers time to adjust to the return of visitors.

"We had a few years when the number of tourists increased very quickly, and it put some pressure on our resources, like transport," he said. "We all need time to slowly improve, step by step."

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