A sophisticated and friendly city that blends countless business benefits, Hong Kong is the perfect place for successful meetings, incentive trips, conventions, and exhibitions that stand out from the rest.
Hong Kong is a place of contrasts: geographically, socially and economically. Although many Asian cities claim to be where East meets West, the former British Crown is probably the closest the world comes to the genuine article.
Hong Kong is Asia’s number one location for successful and rewarding conventions, with an enormous selection of venues and hotels, effcient transportation, experienced support staff, and proximity to China’s booming marketplace. Hong Kong’s business acumen regularly attracts the highest calibre of experts keen to network and share knowledge in Asia’s world city.
Some of the world’s biggest trade fairs have called Hong Kong their home, due to its excellent venues and connectivity, free trade policies, and easy access to Mainland China’s vast emerging markets, as well as Asia’s busiest manufacturing hubs. Offering the convenience and experience to make every exhibition an attractive proposition for buyers and sellers alike, Hong Kong is the ideal spot to showcase in Asia. Hong Kong’s proven track record of hosting world-leading MICE events has attracted numerous awards and accolades that confirm its prestige as a frst-choice destination. Whether it be recognition as the Best Business City in the World by Business Traveller magazine, or as a long-standing winner of CEI Asia magazine’s Best Convention and Exhibition Centre in Asia award, Hong Kong’s experience and effciency are prized globally.
Hong Kong is a city of levels. At the top is Victoria Peak, on Hong Kong Island, from which mansions of the super-rich look out over the high-rise apartments of the merely affluent. Farther down the mountain are alleys and old tenements dotted with colorful balcony gardens. Living on the water itself are Hong Kong’s boat people—fishing families who spend most of their lives on their boats. Across the water on the mainland are Kowloon and the suburban New Territories, which were once Hong Kong’s vegetable garden. Although the popular image of Hong Kong is a place where every square inch/centimeter of land is crammed with high-rise apartments and office buildings, in reality, 38% of all land in Hong Kong is parkland or undeveloped greenery.
Dining & Restaurants
Family celebrations, social occasions and business meetings all revolve around food, usually at one of the 8,000 restaurants in Kowloon and on Hong Kong Island. Cantonese cuisine dominates, but Hong Kong also boasts plenty of restaurants serving regional Chinese cuisines, from Beijing to Shanghai to Yunnan to Sichuan. Other Asian cuisines—such as Thai, Indonesian, Malay and Japanese—also abound.
Dim sum is a must for any visit to Hong Kong—many Chinese restaurants serve it a la carte at lunch. In older restaurants, waiters push small trolleys around the room, carrying different dishes in bamboo steamer baskets or on plates.
Try some of the best restaurants from Cantonese to Italian and French cuisine at TOP25 Restaurants Hong Kong. A very useful restaurant guide for gourmets and gourmands with a unique Restaurant Rating Index and a restaurant awards.
The busy nightlife district of Lan Kwai Fong in Central is packed with stylish eateries priced for every budget (although most are on the expensive end), but it has had some competition recently from a relatively new Central area of trendy bars, cafes and restaurants known as SoHo. Like the New York City neighborhood, its name is derived from its location—in this case, South of Hollywood Road. Take an opportunity to ride the Mid-Levels escalator, which is the longest in the world (0.5 mi/800 m long). A five-minute ride from Queen’s Road Central on the escalator delivers you to the hub of the action on Staunton and Elgin streets. Many restaurants are located nearby.
Beautiful Lamma Island is spectacular at night—many people take private boats to the island and then stop off for a fabulous seafood dinner. You can also take the ferry over. Most of the seafood restaurants are at the small village of Sok Kwu Wan, so be sure to get the correct ferry or you’ll end up at the busier Yung Shue Wan on the other side of the island. And be sure to keep an eye on your watch—the last boat back to Central leaves around 10 or 11 pm, depending on the day of the week. Specialties vary from restaurant to restaurant, but some of the great dishes are garlic king prawns, deep-fried squid, garoupa (a local fish) and scallops.
Geography
Hong Kong lies on China’s southeastern seaboard and borders the mainland Chinese province of Guangdong, the capital of which is Guangzhou. Hong Kong is divided into three distinct regions: Hong Kong Island, the Kowloon Peninsula and the New Territories, which include the largely rural mainland area north of Kowloon and south of the border with mainland China and the 235 Outlying Islands that speckle the South China Sea. The New Territories is also home to large, high-density new towns such as Tuen Mun and Tsuen Wan, created in recent decades to handle population overspill from Kowloon and Hong Kong Island.
Hong Kong Island and Kowloon are still the most urban and densely populated regions. The two are separated by the historically important Victoria Harbor, a naturally sheltered deepwater port (Hong Kong, or Heung Gong, means “Fragrant Harbor” in the local Cantonese dialect), abuzz with luxury liners, cargo ships and old-fashioned sampans.
At the southernmost tip of Kowloon is Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong’s most prominent tourist district. Tsim Sha Tsui’s main traffic artery is Nathan Road, a bustling, neon-lit strip of camera shops, tailors, souvenir vendors, upscale boutiques, hotels, restaurants and bars known as the Golden Mile. Nathan Road continues north through Jordan, Yau Ma Tei and Mong Kok, which are also areas notable for their retail outlets and nightlife.
On the north side of Hong Kong Island, directly across the harbor from Tsim Sha Tsui, Central district is the financial and commercial heart of the city. The densely packed, middle-class residential neighborhood above Central but below the heights of Victoria Peak is aptly called the Mid-Levels.
Directly east of Central is Wanchai—once a bawdy entertainment district but increasingly becoming a less expensive eating and drinking option than Central’s Lan Kwai Fong. (It’s perhaps best known as the location for the 1961 film The World of Suzie Wong.) Next in line is the bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay. Directly inland behind Causeway Bay nestles Happy Valley, an exclusive residential district and site of the more dramatic of Hong Kong’s two racecourses (the other is in Sha Tin in the New Territories) and Hong Kong Stadium, which holds major sporting events.
Prime real estate and sandy beaches characterize the southern part of Hong Kong Island. The Outlying Islands, which are decidedly Mediterranean in atmosphere, can be reached by ferry. The largest is Lantau, which can also be reached from Hong Kong Island by road and rail and from Kowloon via a suspension bridge. Lantau is the site of Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok. The picturesque islands of Lamma, Peng Chau and Cheung Chau are also popular weekend getaways.
Asia’s Business Hub
Hong Kong’s extensive tax, trade and legal benefits, as well as its proximity to some of the world’s largest
and most robust economies, have made it the most convenient base for doing business in Asia. Hong Kong is
effciently located within four hours of flying time from the region’s key financial markets, and is less than a
five-hour flight from half the world’s population.
Visit Hong Kong
Many landmarks and historical sights are found in the city as well as on the outskirts and outlying islands. Expect a wonderful mixture of colonial buildings (though these are diminishing in number), ancient Buddhist temples and statues, traditional villages and space-age skyscrapers. The stark contrast between Hong Kong’s dense urban areas and peaceful green spaces takes many visitors by surprise. Make sure you don’t limit your Hong Kong experience to only urban areas.
More traditional and historical sights, such as the Kam Tin Walled Village, are located in the New Territories north of the Kowloon Peninsula. Causeway Bay is also a fascinating strolling-and-shopping site, although it can get extremely crowded on weekends and bank holidays. It is also notorious for pickpockets and purse snatchers, so watch your purse and wallet. A walk around Victoria Peak rewards you with fantastic views of Hong Kong Island and beyond to Kowloon and the South China Sea. Numerous Buddhist and Taoist temples offer a glimpse into the religious side of Hong Kong: One major tourist attraction is the Po Lin Monastery’s Big Buddha on Lantau Island, which now features a cable car for those not in the mood to walk.
Another of Hong Kong’s major attractions is the Star Ferry, which runs between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. You may end up riding it every day of your visit, but with the city views and glimpses of harbor life it offers, the journey will pass quickly. Most sights are easy to reach via tram (on Hong Kong Island), bus, taxi, the Kowloon-Canton Railway (KCR) or the underground Mass Transit Railway (MTR), but many of Hong Kong’s famous landmarks and neighborhoods can be discovered on foot without a guide. Be sure to pick up a map or pamphlets on walking tours from the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s information centers.
World-Class Hotels
Hong Kong’s over 220 hotels range from high-end luxurious to high-quality budget, and can comfortably accommodate even the biggest MICE events, with over 70,000 rooms on offer across the city. Many of Hong Kong’s key hotels are equipped with superlative meeting facilities and excellent restaurants and bars. Transport is fast and easy between hotels and venues; or take a stroll along Hong Kong’s safe streets to and plenty to see (and eat!) in between.