One of the world’s great global cities is pulsating with renewed energy and dynamic new attractions, lending fresh vibrancy to its timeless appeal.
“Hong Kong swept me off my feet. It was glorious and completely unexpected.” That’s how one traveler reacted after her first-ever trip to Hong Kong. First-time visitors to Hong Kong often react with that level of surprise and delight.
These days Hong Kong is welcoming both first-time and returning visitors alike with vibrant new experiences, further enriching what is widely considered one of the globe’s most compelling destinations.
New Experiences
Returning visitors to Hong Kong can look forward to sensational new experiences and attractions. Topmost among them are the celebrated Hong Kong Palace Museum and the highly anticipated M+, one of the world’s largest contemporary art museums. Both museums are part of the visionary, master-planned West Kowloon Cultural District.
There’s a heightened focus on art and culture at the grassroots level too, creating new reasons to explore previously undiscovered parts of town. Throughout city neighborhoods, dynamic new cultural venues are shining a fresh spotlight on emerging artists, while giving rise to edgy new retail and artisanal ventures along with colorful street art.
Adding to the buzz is the return of international audiences to high-profile events like Art Basel Hong Kong, food and wine festivals and seasonal extravaganzas.
There are new and revitalized waterfront promenades and parks to enjoy too, including West Kowloon Art Park, where you can rent bikes, take your pick of eateries and soak up gorgeous sunsets over Victoria Harbour. The Avenue of Stars promenade, with its own magnificent harbor view, has been redesigned, while nearby, at Victoria Dockside, the new K11Musea brings together public art, high-end retail, dining and entertainment.
K11 Musea
Hong Kong Disneyland Resort this year expanded its nighttime entertainment with the debut of the multisensory storytelling spectacular “Momentous” at its Castle of Magical Dreams. And in 2023, the park will open Disney’s first-ever immersive “World of Frozen” themed area, with experiences inspired by the hit film “Frozen.”
In Aberdeen, the new Water World Ocean Park is an all-weather family-friendly oceanfront destination, with five themed zones and 27 indoor and outdoor attractions, including a surf simulator, water slides, wave pools and river journeys.
All those new experiences only deepen the drawing power of Hong Kong’s timeless qualities and attractions.
Wong Tai Sin Temple
Unforgettable Transportation Experiences
Hong Kong boasts some of the most iconic, entertaining and unforgettable transportation experiences in the world.
One must-do is the classic Star Ferry trip across Victoria Harbour. With its spectacular views of the busy harbor and Kowloon and Hong Kong Island skylines, the short ride aboard the classic green-and-white vessels is one of the world’s most memorable tourism experiences.
Another must is the Peak Tram, a steep funicular that zips passengers from Central Hong Kong to the top of Victoria Peak, offering magnificent panoramas along the way. In operation since 1888, the Peak Tram has completed a major upgrade, endowing it with new and larger tramcars, fully renovated terminals, a reimagined entertainment experience and a 33-foot-tall Eye of Infinity sculpture.
Peak Tram
Old-fashioned double-decker street trams, in operation since 1904, are a leisurely way to take in the sights on the north shore of Hong Kong Island. And both regular and fast ferries operate to Hong Kong’s many islands, including to popular Lamma and Cheung Chau islands.
(Pro tip: Urge clients to download the transportation app HKeMobility for detailed routes and schedules, current trip times and traffic conditions.)
Hong Kong Has It All
There are at least as many reasons to visit Hong Kong as there are stairs to the Big Buddha on Lantau Island (268, in case you’re wondering).
Tian Tan Buddha
“Hong Kong really has got it all,” says Laudie Hanou, vice president of SITA World Tours. “It’s very hard to speak to just one specific aspect – it is so abundant of resources, and there are so many different types of authentic experiences. Everything’s there.”
Woven through it all is the ineffable charm of a city whose kinetic way of life is shaped by the interaction of East and West and by the mingling of global financiers and traders with the artists, entrepreneurs, trendsetters and working people who cherish their Hong Kong home.