The Hong Kong Tourism Board invited 1,730 influencers from around the world to the city between 2023 and 2024, with the group carrying a combined following exceeding 1.6 billion, according to a response from the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau published by the South China Morning Post.

The board tailored each influencer’s itinerary to their home market and target audience. Among those invited was Senegalese-Italian TikTok creator Khaby Lame, the platform’s most-followed user with more than 160 million followers, who visited Hong Kong in November 2024 for three days. His itinerary included the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, Tai O fishing village, a dai pai dong in Sham Shui Po, and afternoon tea at a historic five-star hotel.

Mingyu and Vernon from the South Korean boy band Seventeen visited in September 2024, with a subsequent Instagram post by Mingyu accumulating 2.5 million likes. American YouTube duo the Stokes Twins, who have 139 million subscribers, produced the pair’s first travel vlog in Asia, filming at Hong Kong Disneyland, Kai Tak Sports Park, and Ocean Park. The video has surpassed 58 million views on YouTube.

To reach mainland Chinese audiences, the board partnered with Douyin creator Wang Guo’er, who has 3.8 million followers, and WeChat creator Grandpagu, who has 1.3 million followers and focuses on museum visits worldwide.

Budget and Strategic Direction

Permanent Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Vivian Sum Fong-kwang said the board “will continue to develop themed promotional content aligned with market trends, catering to the interests and needs of target visitor segments across different markets” in the 2026-27 financial year.

The board’s allocated budget for that period stands at HK$1.32 billion (~US$168 million), with HK$343 million directed toward diversifying visitor source markets and developing tourism offerings aimed at high-value overnight visitors.

The board said it could not break out the specific cost of the influencer program, as the work was incorporated into its broader marketing strategy.

The Mainland Opportunity

The influencer push toward mainland China aligns with findings from a separate Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) survey of 2,200 middle-to-high-income mainland consumers. The survey found that 78% purchased Hong Kong products online in the past year, averaging 9.4 purchases monthly.

HKTDC economist Eric Chu Tak-hin advised Hong Kong businesses to “conduct thorough market analysis and utilize data to choose the right influencer endorsements that align with their products to emphasize authentic user experiences.” 

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