Chinese New Year: A surprisingly Affordable Time to Visit Hong Kong

10/3/2012 — By Nicholas DeRenzo

Courtesy Globotours

Hong Kong lights up at night.

Who knew?! Hong Kong’s biggest festival is also one of the cheapest times of the year to visit.

Romance can easily get trampled in frenetic Hong Kong, but February brings out the giddy schoolgirl in this all–business city. It turns out that while the 15–day Chinese New Year festivities start with a firecracker–induced bang, they end on a surprisingly sweet note: the Spring Lantern Festival (February 6, 2012). The festival started as a celebration of the year’s first full moon, featuring multicolored silk or paper lanterns and a menu of sticky rice balls—you know: round, white, and, well, lunar. Over the years, Cupid joined the party. The lanterns, now strung up throughout the city’s parks, provide a dreamy backdrop for strolling singles and their traditional matchmaking games. "As we absorbed other cultures through travel and exposure to the world, we morphed our own festival into a hybrid form of Chinese Valentine’s Day," says Xu Xi, novelist and writer in residence at the City University of Hong Kong. "And why not? Cultures change, but love is universal."

Visitors

17.5% fewer visitors, compared to December high season.

Airfare Savings

18% cheaper

Dec. 2010 avg. ticket: $1,157

Feb. 2011 avg. ticket: $944

Hotel Savings

21% cheaper

Dec. 2010 avg. daily rate: $187

Feb. 2011 avg. daily rate: $148

Hotel Occupancy

9% emptier