Research group GfK has unearthed some surprising findings about Hong Kong travellers, including the popularity of travel magazines.
Using a fairly small but relevant sample - 520 consumers who had booked an outbound leisure holiday with at least one overnight stay in the past three months - GfK found that "travel related publications" were the second most popular touch point.
Online travel agents top the poll and are accessed by nearly half of all travellers. Publications come next with 43%, followed by web sites operated by agents with an offline presence.
Travel writers will also take great comfort from being more relevant than social media, which only blip the radar of only 22% of Hong Kongers. Facebook is the most popular social media channel.
The fact that travel writing even gets a look-in when considering traveller touch points contrasts with other markets where the emphasis is on review sites, blogging and word-of-mouth.
Overall, the top takeaway from GfK's report is that the offline travel sector is very much alive and kicking in Hong Kong, existing in harmony with the online world. GfK found that offline touch points are used by nine in ten (90%) travelers while online has less of a presence, connecting only with 84%.
However, when it comes to transactions, online is very much the dominating force - two-thirds of travellers sign off their purchases online.
Hong Kongers are also big fans of the unbundled purchase with more than 60% buying flights and accommodation separately.
NB Hong Kong image from Shutterstock