Hong Kong Tourism’s new campaign puts you in an Instagrammer’s paradise

You say you’ve already been to HK Disneyland, rode the Peak Tram, visited Ocean Park? Well, Hong Kong Tourism Board wants to put you on the street level.

They say if you want to really enjoy a destination, do as the locals do.

With that in mind, Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) invites tourists to explore its old neighborhoods — places like Kowloon’s Sham Shui Po and Old Town Central — to see what its mix of old shops and restaurants, quirky vendors and hip new establishments has to offer.

HKTB Southeast Asia regional director Raymond Chan: “We have to find hidden gems with local flavor… and promote them in every single district.”

It may not be the first stop for crazy rich Asians looking for the luxe life, but for photo-focused social media travelers in Hong Kong, it’s another way to breathe new life into a city that’s been around for centuries.

You say you’ve already been to HK Disneyland, rode the Peak Tram, visited Ocean Park? Well, HKTB wants to put you on the street level.

Thousands and thousands of custom buttons arranged in wooden drawers. Rolls of colorful fabric laid out at a vintage storefront. Slices of white sugar sponge cake. Snake soup restaurants. Handmade soap and paper shops. Fifties-era architecture that speaks of the past. Antique chairs remade into hipster furniture.

Those are the kind of images that catch the eye on Instagram. And that’s one of the reasons HKTB is continuing its Hong Kong Neighborhoods Programme after last year’s successful push into Old Town Central: in the world of social media, retro is hip, and the old is made new again.

According to HKTB Southeast Asia regional director Raymond Chan, those younger travelers with cameras are a big market segment. “The mid-career segment is our biggest piece of the pie. They age from between 25 to 48, representing 40 to 50 percent of our total arrivals.”

Another name for this group is the FITs. That stands for “free independent travelers” who are interested in Hong Kong’s history, heritage, local culture, street food, shops and bazaars. They don’t want a fixed itinerary, the usual tourist haunts.

Last year HKTB invited tourists to art walks and café stops in Old Town Central.

“What we are doing is putting in more local flavor, trying to promote more hidden gems,” says Chan. Last year, they started with Old Town Central, its eye-catching street murals and galleries, old-style teahouses and temples. Mixed alongside hip and trendy cafés and restaurants, it was a second look at a familiar neighborhood that now attracts a new generation as well. Think of it as putting new wine into old bottles.

For Sham Shui Po, HKTB encourages its more game tourists to “Wear, Eat, Live and Walk” — that is, explore the old neighborhoods by foot, or by theme, checking out fashion areas like Ki Lung Street (“Button Street”), Nam Cheong Street (“Ribbon Street”), or Tai Nan Street (“Leather Street”) for unique design materials. At the same time, the revitalized Sham Shui Po has attracted new, trendy merchants like Doughnut (hip backpacks) and Sunfafa (vintage clothing).

For food, HKTB wants to highlight iconic places like Kung Wo Beancurd Factory (for tofu pudding), Hop Yik Tai (rice noodle roll), and its Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan (dim sum), but also new and diverse places like Kedai Kopi Semua Semua (Malaysian) and hip Café Sausalito. Don’t forget food pasalubongs: stop by local supermarkets for Hong Kong Milk Tea, Vitasoy Soy Drink, Garden Chocolate Finger or Ramen Chips (Yes, that’s right: Ramen Chips. A tip offered by local Hong Kong Tourism Board manager Tessa Pangilinan.)

You can go crazy taking pictures of street art and architecture in Sham Shui Po.

Sham Shui Po is loaded with history — what a Hollywood locale scout might call “texture.” In fact, parts of Transformers 4 were filmed in this grid of interlocking streets. So explore the neighborhood’s retro architecture: the ‘50s-era Mei Ho House Youth Hostel, Nam Cheong Pawnshop, Kwan Tai Temple or Sham Shui Po Police Station. (Yes, that’s right: a police station.)

And because Filipinos — who are only a 90-minute flight away from Hong Kong — love to shop, Sham Shui Po offers countless winding streets and bazaar areas to explore by foot, such as Apliu Street (electronics), Fuk Wing Street (toys) or Pei Ho Street (for household items).

Chan says the push to promote old neighborhoods is not really social media-driven: it’s a necessity. “Hong Kong is a very small city with a lot of choices and destinations, but because of the infrastructure, we’re not going to create new theme parks every single year. So what we’re doing instead is showing the uniqueness” and “local flavor” of these often-ignored older districts. “Young people want to post things that haven’t already been promoted on social media, that are authentic and unique to their visit,” adds HKTB marketing senior manager Amy Lam.

HKTB has no plans to stop with these two neighborhoods, notes Chan. “To promote more hidden gems, we have to find them in every single district.” No word yet on the third neighborhood, but for now Sham Shui Po has a lot to offer. For one thing, it’s way cheaper than Causeway Bay. “It’s not very commercial commercial, it’s a local district but with a lot of hidden stories.”

“One of the most amazing things about Hong Kong is that on one side you see the old shops and on the other you see the really hip cafés,” notes Chan. “That really creates a contrast. The thing that Hong Kong brings is the uniqueness of east meets west, because of the history and culture.”

And, he adds, “it’s a nice background for people to take pictures as well.”

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Hong Kong Tourism Board’s campaign tagline is “Best of All, It’s in Hong Kong.” See stories on Instagram at #discoverHK or visit www.DiscoverHongKong.com.