Hong Kong has been a favorite or perhaps the top choice overseas destination for Pinoys. And with the advent of budget airlines, more and more are visiting this city being promoted as “Asia’s World City”. The airlines currently serving Hong Kong from Manila, Cebu, or Clark include PAL, Cebu Pacific, SEAIR, Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Airline, Dragon Air, and Tiger Air.
Hong Kong’s many attractions is one reason it is a favorite among Pinoys. Theme parks Disneyland and Ocean Park are the most visited by Pinoy tourists. Other attractions include Victoria Peak that overlooks over the city and the Avenue of the Stars area where one can have a good view of the skyline of Hong Kong Island across the harbour. The Hong Kong Tourist Board (HKTB) compiled a list of the most popular attractions (see http://www.discoverhongkong.com/seasia/attractions/most-popular.html)
Another favorite among Pinoys visiting Hong Kong is shopping. For those looking for branded products at discounted prices, I suggest you visit Citygate Outlets, the largest outlet mall in Hong Kong with over 80 international brand names represented, located at Tung Chung and not far from the airport. There are also the street markets the more popular being the Ladies Market near Mong Kok MTR Station, Temple Street Night Market near Jordan MTR Station, and Stanley Market at Stanley Village. There are many others and my favorite is the Fa Yuen Street Market near Prince Edward MTR Station. For a more complete list of these shopping places, take a look at HKTB’s shopping guide at http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/shopping/shopping-guide.html.
There are also those who visit Hong Kong seeking job opportunities. One thing good is that there is no major hurdle for any Filipino professional or bachelor’s degree holder when looking for work in Hong Kong as one can look and find work in one’s field of study whether it is architecture, accounting, engineering, or the medical field unlike in the more advanced countries. Of course, language can be an issue and one would need an employment visa to work so a company who can and is willing to sponsor one’s employment visa application is essential.
For the entrepreneurial Pinoy, an alternative would be to set up one’s own business by buying a ready made corporation or limited company (see http://auditech.webs.com/apps/blog/entries/show/8252056-setting-up-a-business-in-hong-kong ) and apply for an employment visa as managing director for one’s business. For this, one must have the needed funding and has a ready business plan that can be implemented right away. If the business can fly, one can be sure one’s visa application will have a good chance of success.
There is of course a large Filipino community (maybe 200,000) in Hong Kong, majority being domestic helpers. Others include accountants, airline flight crew and staff, architects, bankers, business executives, engineers, entertainers, entrepreneurs, IT specialists, journalists, lawyers, office staff of Filipino companies, and many more.
For going around Hong Kong, the easiest and fastest way is through the MTR, Hong Kong’s mass transit system. One can even go to China through it although one needs a visa beforehand to do this. If you don’t have one, then you can only go as far as the border. So get hold of an MTR map and study it.
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