The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), a former British colony which was reunited with the People's Republic of China in 1997, welcomes millions of international travellers every year for business and tourism.
The HKSAR is part of the Pearl River Delta region, a rapidly interconnecting economic area on the southern coast of China that includes booming cities such as Shenzhen, Zhongshan, Guangzhou, and China's other SAR, Macau.
Language :
|
Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin) and English |
| Population : |
6.98 million |
| Time Zone : |
GMT +8 Hours |
| Measures : |
Metric System |
| Voltage : |
200/220 volts |
| Mobile Phones : |
GSM 900/PCS1800/CDMA |
Visas
Unlike travel to Mainland China, travel to Hong Kong for visits of less than three months is visa-free for most nationalities. A passport is required. Note that separate entry requirements apply for travel from the HKSAR to Mainland China, and to the Macau SAR.
Visa Requirements from the HKSAR Immigration Department
http://www.immd.gov.hk/ehtml/hkvisas_4.htm
Restricted Items
Due to differences in legistrations of countries, some items considered legal in other countries may breach the laws of Hong Kong. Please visit The Hong Kong Police Website for advice to visitors.
Currency
The unit of money is the Hong Kong Dollar (HKD). Credit cards are accepted in hotels as well as shopping malls. You may wish to purchase an Octopus card, a stored-value 'smart card', which is a popular and convenient way to pay transit fares and make small purchases.
Taxes
There are no sales duty or value-added taxes in Hong Kong.
Tipping: A 10% service charge is added to hotel and restaurant bills and additional tipping is optional.
Business Hours
Bank Hours : 9am to 4.30pm, Monday through Friday, Saturday 9am to 12.30 or 1.30 pm
Office Hours : 9am to 5pm, Monday through Friday, Saturday 9am to 1pm
Shop Hours : 10am to 7pm or 10pm every day
Medical Services
Medical services are at a high standard, though public hospitals can be crowded and private clinics may be more expensive.
We recommend not drinking water from the tap. Complimentary bottled drinking water is available in our hotel rooms.
Dress
Light suits and dresses are appropriate for business. A light raincoat may be useful from mid-May to mid-September, the summer rainy season. A sweater is recommended for indoors, particularly in the summer months, when the air conditioning can be quite cold. Coats are occasionally necessary from December to February.
Weather
Hong Kong has a subtropical climate with warm to hot, humid summers from May to September (25C to 29C, 77F to 84F), and a cooler season from December to February (14C to 20C, 57F to 68F). The typhoon season runs from July to September, when heavy rain can be expected.
http://www.weather.gov.hk
