Hong Kong maintains its status as the most popular travel destination in Asia, where the exotic East fuses with the contemporary West as a dynamic contemporary city. English is widely spoken and the excellent public transport system is safe in a compact area that makes it easy to get around for independent adventures. Hong Kong's energetic atmosphere is unforgettable. Ranked as one of the largest trade entities in the world, a broad business base has developed and today is the most dynamic international business (trading, transportation and communications) center in the region. It is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit where the 7 million inhabitants have a worldwide reputation for working hard and playing hard.

The vantage point of Victoria Peak, overlooking the world's busiest deepwater port, overshadoews a city geared not only to making money but feeling good about it with a vibrant nightlife. Visitors often find it takes a few days in Hong Kong to get accustomed to the whirlwind pace. If you need some respite, check out the solitude of the Outlying Islands for a change of pace and scenery.

Hong Kong is well established as a tourist destination with some of the best hotels in the world known for impeccable Asian service standards and a wide variety of restaurants. It is a colorful kaleidoscope of attractions to arouse the senses: spectacular sightseeing, sensational shopping and fabulous foods. The Chinese experience is enhanced by strong western influences from its colonial history but Hong Kong has always stuck to its roots and the culture beneath the glitz is pure Chinese. Skyscrapers dominate Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula that are quite a contrast to much of the New Territories and more than 260 outlying islands that remain rural farmland and tranquil fishing villages. Hong Kong is just 1,100 sq. kilometers with both Chinese and English as the official languages. Sovereignty reverted to China with the handover in 1997and Hong Kong remains a unique entity operating as "one country, two systems" politics. A visit to Hong Kong is a must as the golden gateway to China or a stopover in the Pacific region.