We all know Hong Kong people love travelling, but exactly how much do they love travelling? Which destinations do they like most? Who is travelling? …

There is probably no better source of answers to these questions than the online travel guru ZUJI.  Thanks to the very high popularity of its platform, which allows customers to search for the best travel deals to their favourite destinations, ZUJI knows and now reveals the preferences of Hong Kong travellers in 2009.
 
"The economic downturn meant short haul trips were more popular this year," said Charlie Wong, General Manager, ZUJI Hong Kong. "But the market has started to bounce back in recent months. Nonetheless, 2009 was a year of price sensitivity and Hong Kong travellers were digging deeper for bargains. This benefitted ZUJI because we provide our customers with truly competitive deals and a convenient view of all package information."
 
Based on activity on the popular ZUJI Hong Kong site, the findings shed light on travel trends and provide interesting insights such as what destinations locals were looking for, what was the cheapest ticket and what the most luxurious holiday of the year was.
 
The findings at a glance:
 
Most Searched Destinations

The most searched destination by Hong Kong travellers this year was Taipei. The top ten reveals that locals were more interested in Asian destinations this year:
 
1. Taipei
2. Bangkok
3. Tokyo
4. Hong Kong
5. Singapore
6. London
7. Shanghai
8. Bali
9. Seoul
10. Osaka

Most Booked Destinations

1. Taipei
2. Singapore
3. Hong Kong
4. Bangkok
5. Tokyo
6. London
7. Shanghai
8. Manila
9. Ho Chi Minh
10. Seoul

"Taipei is a popular get-away location for Hong Kong people because it's near, not expensive to visit and travel, and because there is nearly no language barrier," said Wong. "Hong Kong being another top popular destination booked and searched on ZUJI HK may be a surprise. We understand that many Hong Kong people book hotel rooms for their visiting friends.

Many overseas customers book flights to the city on the ZUJI Hong Kong web site. This may be driven by attractive deals available on our web site or exchange rate considerations."
 
Fastest-Emerging Destination

Taipei is the fastest-emerging destination, based on comparisons with last year's data. 
 
Most Popular Destination for 2010

Taipei will continue to be the most popular destination going into next year, based on bookings to date.
 
Most Revisited Destinations

Taipei is also to most popular destination for return visits, followed by Bangkok.
 
Most Popular Destinations for DINKS (Double Income No Kids)

Even those with more disposable income were staying close to home this year. The most popular airfare destinations for DINKS were:

1.    Taipei
2.    Bangkok
3.    Singapore
4.    Ho Chi Minh
5.    London

The most popular package destinations for DINKS were:

1.    Bangkok
2.    Tokyo
3.    Taipei
4.    Singapore
5.    Phuket
 
Most Popular Destinations for Families (3-4 people)

Airfare alone
  
1.    Taipei
2.    Singapore
3.    Bangkok
4.    Ho Chi Minh
5.    London

Package

1.    Bangkok
2.    Tokyo
3.    Taipei
4.    Singapore
5.    Phuket

Most Popular Destination for Groups (4+ people)

Taipei was also the most popular destination for group travel, in both the airfare and package category.
 
Most Popular Hotel in Hong Kong

Hotel Jen was the biggest hit with ZUJI's inbound customers in 2009.
 
Travel Trivia of the year

•  The lowest cost-per-mile ticket sold was HK$550 to Taipei. The lucky customer nabbed this deal through the ZUJI 72 hour sale in June. 
• The most luxurious package was a trip to the Maldives, which worked out at HK$4000+ per day.
• The longest trip, in terms of mileage, was to Buenos Aires.
• 72 percent of all short haul travellers depart on a Saturday. 

Early Birds and Late Starters

• A total of 73 percent of short haul travellers leave within seven days of booking.
• Only nine percent of long haul travellers leave within seven days of booking.
• People travelling without children can afford to be more impulsive – 70 percent leave within seven days of booking.
• Travellers with children tend to plan ahead more, with only 10 percent leaving within seven days of travelling.