Tourism demand from Hong Kong SAR
remains bullish, concludes a new Pacific Asia Travel Association report entitled ‘Hong Kong Outbound Tourism: A PATA Snapshot’Launched at PATA Travel Mart 2006 in Hong Kong, the report
suggests continuing growth in outbound flows from the Chinese Special
Administrative Region to Asia Pacific destinations of up to 42% per
year until 2008.

The destinations with the five highest forecast growth rates in the
number of visits by Hong Kong residents until 2008 include Northern
Marianas (42%), Myanmar (30%), Thailand (28%), the Philippines (24%)
and Korea (ROK) (22%).

Outbound trips from Hong Kong have grown 7.7% per year, on average
since 1990.

The top five most popular Asia Pacific destinations for Hong Kong
travellers by the end of 2005 were China (PRC), Macau SAR, Thailand,
Chinese Taipei and Singapore.

Hong Kong’s 6.9 million residents generated 70 million outbound trips
in 2005, 92% of which were to destinations in China (PRC) including
about 5% to Macau SAR.
——-