These are very interesting stats from AirBNB, so we thought we would share this AirBNB press release with Hong Kong startups: the tourism industry in Hong Kong is growing and besides a handful of travel startups in Hong Kong like Klook and Sam the Local we’re looking to find out who else is in this space or if you are looking to get into TravelTech in Asia.
Read below about AirBNB in HK during CNY — and for those who have been with us for awhile: do you remember when Brian Chesky showed up at our Startup Saturday event back in 2011 when he came to launch Airbnb in Hong Kong?
Airbnb, the world’s leading home-sharing and homestay lodging (minsu) platform, today announced new data that highlights how Airbnb is helping Hong Kong accommodate the influx of travellers during Chinese New Year.
According to data announced today, CNY week will be one of the Airbnb’s biggest periods in Hong Kong, in terms of inbound guest arrivals. From 14 February to 20 February, almost 15,000 guests will stay at Airbnb listings in Hong Kong, bringing in a combined US$1.6m (HKD＄12.5m) in supplemental income for the local host community.
This represents a 54% increase (or 1.54x) from the average 7-day period in 2017. Over 53% of guests are from China, which tops the ranking, followed by 7.5% from the United States, then Hong Kong (5.4%), Philippines (4.3%) and Malaysia (4.3%).
Similarly, Airbnb is the top choice for many Hong Kongers who love to travel abroad during CNY holidays. Japan tops the list of favourite country destinations with over 10,000 Hong Kongers staying at an Airbnb listings in Japan. This is followed by nearly 3,500 Hong Kongers staying in an Airbnb listing in Australia this festive season. Rounding off this list are Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, New Zealand and United Kingdom.
Digging deeper to the city level, Osaka and Tokyo are the top two most popular foreign destination cities, with nearly 6,000 travellers choosing to stay at Airbnb listings in these two cities during CNY. There will also be nearly 5,000 Airbnb guests staying at homes of local hosts in Seoul, Taipei, and Fukuoka, respectively. Please see appendix for further details.
Gina Tsai, Airbnb’s Head of Public Policy in Hong Kong and Taiwan, noted that the Japanese Diet has passed a new bill that supports short-term rentals nationwide and the new bill is expected to unlock huge opportunity for Japan’s tourism industry, allowing more international tourists to experience the country authentically. Japan’s choice to embrace the global trend to transform from mass travel to healthy travel can be a great example for Hong Kong to follow.
“Hong Kong’s policy needs to be adaptive to the changing world and the changing preferences of tourists,” said Tsai. “Home sharing, Minsu, and short-term rentals provide more choices to tourists, helping them deepen their travel experiences. An open policy framework will help Hong Kong to lead in the international trend, welcoming more tourists from more places.”
Top Guest Origins during 2018 CNY
Ranking Origin %
1 China 53.4%
2 United States 7.5%
3 Hong Kong 5.4%
4 Philippines 4.3%
5 Malaysia 4.3%
6 Korea 4.3%
7 Australia 2.7%
8 Canada 2.4%
9 Singapore 2.4%
10 United Kingdom 2.4%
11 Taiwan 2.0%
12 Indonesia 1.3%
13 France 1.3%
14 Germany 1%
15 Netherlands 0.5%
Source: Airbnb
Top Destination during 2018 CNY- Hong Kong
Ranking Destination
1 Japan
2 Australia
3 Taiwan
4 Korea
5 Thailand
6 New Zealand
7 United Kingdom
8 United States
9 Canada
10 Hong Kong
11 China
12 France
13 Malaysia
14 Philippines
15 Italy
Top 10 Destination Cities during 2018 CNY – Hong Kong
Ranking City
1 Osaka, Japan
2 Tokyo, Japan
3 Seoul, Korea
4 Taipei, Taiwan
5 Fukuoka, Japan
6 Hong Kong
7 Kyoto, Japan
8 Bangkok, Thailand
9 Sydney, Australia
10 London, UK
Source: Airbnb
