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.
Currency
The unit of money is the Hong Kong Dollar (HKD).
Credit cards are accepted in major 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 at selected shops.
Here are the most recent exchange rates for some common currencies.
HKD 1.00
equals:
|
Exchange Rates
|
Currency
|
|
0.14
|
Australian Dollar
(AUD)
|
|
0.09
|
Euro
(EUR)
|
|
0.08
|
British Pound
(GBP)
|
|
7.88
|
Indian Rupee
(INR)
|
|
13.30
|
Japanese Yen
(JPY)
|
|
0.15
|
New Zealand Dollar
(NZD)
|
|
0.16
|
Singapore Dollar
(SGD)
|
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. It is also customary to leave a small additional tip.
Business Hours
Bank Hours
9am - 4.30 / 5pm, Monday through Friday
9am - 12.30 or 1.30 / 4.30 pm, Saturday (depending on branch)
Office Hours
9am - 5 / 6pm, Monday through Friday
9am - 1pm, Saturday
Shopping Hours
Most shops are open seven days a week from 10am to 7pm or as late as 9pm.
Public Health
Medical services are at a high standard, though public hospitals can be crowded and private clinics may be quite expensive.
We recommend not drinking water from the tap. Complimentary bottled drinking water is available in every hotel room.
Dress
Light suits and dresses are appropriate for business. A light raincoat or umbrella 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 (25°C to 29°C / 77°F to 84°F), and a cooler season from December to February (14°C to 20°C / 57°F to 68°F).
The typhoon season runs from July to September, when heavy rain can be expected.
Today
Cloudy
Plenty of clouds
|
High:
|
17°C /
62°F
|
|
Low:
|
16°C /
60°F
|
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Overcast
|
High:
|
20°C /
68°F
|
|
Low:
|
17°C /
62°F
|
|
Thursday:
|
|
Showers
|
High:
21°C /
69°F
|
Low:
15°C /
59°F
|
|
Friday:
|
|
Cloudy
|
High:
19°C /
66°F
|
Low:
16°C /
60°F
|